The silent fight behind success: Former junior India No. 2 Orijit Chaliha on athletes’ mental health struggles

Behind the medals and victories, mental health plays a big part in an athlete’s life and career. Athletes are often admired for their strength and toughness, but many quietly face mental health challenges.

Top athletes like Michael Phelps, Naomi Osaka, Tyson Fury, Serena Williams and Indian stars such as PV Sindhu, Virat Kohli and many others have been vocal about the mental side of their careers.

A 2019 review by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) found that many top male athletes in team sports like hockey, football, cricket, and rugby face mental health challenges, including anxiety and depression. Nearly 45 % of these athletes reported experiencing such symptoms, showing that even elite players struggle with mental health. The review also found that some male athletes use substances like painkillers and opioids to manage pain, recover from injuries, or cope with stress from training and competition.

In a conversation with Orijit Chaliha, an Indian men’s singles badminton player from Guwahati, Assam, the shuttler shed light on his struggles and why it’s important for athletes to prioritise mental health.

The former Junior India No. 2, Chaliha is now ranked 20th in senior rankings, with a career-high national rank of 9 and a world ranking of 156.

He won his first senior international medal, a silver, at the 2025 Victor Croatian International.

Currently he is based in Bangalore, where he trains under Arvind Bhatt, a two-time national champion in men’s singles, at Simply Sport Badminton Academy.

Mental health in sports is finally getting the attention it deserves, and more athletes are speaking openly about their challenges. Orijit believes this change is helping normalise conversations about mental wellbeing.

“More athletes are talking about their hardships and their journey, whether on YouTube, Instagram, or other platforms. This encourages others to open up as well,” Orijit told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive chat. “Physical struggles were always highlighted, but mental struggles were considered taboo for a long time. That is changing now.”

When asked if he had faced any mental challenges in his career, and how he dealt with them, Orijit opened up about his experiences.

Orijit shared that he faced a major mental challenge in 2020, soon after moving from the U-19 circuit to the senior level. The constant routine of daily practice began to feel exhausting and repetitive, and he started experiencing burnout.

“It reached a point where winning didn’t feel exciting and losing didn’t bother me either. I just lost the motivation to play,” he said.

At the time, Orijit said he found it difficult to deal with those feelings, especially since many people believed that skipping practice could harm an athlete’s career.

Despite this pressure, he chose to take a break from badminton until he genuinely felt the desire to return, and he credits his support system for standing by him during that decision. Stepping away from the sport helped him see the bigger picture and reflect on his relationship with the game.

"Eventually I made a bold decision to take a break from the sport and distance myself from it indefinitely and get back to it once I felt the desire to play again. I’m extremely fortunate to have a support system who supported this decision.

"Being away from the sport helped me look at the bigger picture and separate myself from the everyday grind and look at things rationally. I found it difficult to do this while I was involved in the whole routine." he said.

After a few months of reflection, Orijit gradually regained his love for the game and slowly returned to practice at his own pace, with his motivation to compete eventually coming back.

“When I returned to full-time training, I carried the lessons I had learned during that break,” he explained, adding that he now focuses on keeping practice both fun and challenging while paying attention to his mental wellbeing and trusting himself.

Orijit emphasised that accepting criticism and failure is key to professional growth. “At some point in your career, you realise criticism and failure are part of the process of becoming a champion. The better you play, the more people will notice your performance—it’s inevitable that some of it will be negative,” he explained.

He added that criticism can even be seen as a privilege. “When people critique you, it shows you’re making an impact. Failures teach you what to improve, and using that feedback makes you a stronger player,” he said.

When asked about the growing mental health support for athletes in India, Orijit said the system is slowly improving.

“National centers, especially in badminton, now hire psychologists who travel with players for domestic and international tournaments. A few years ago, this was unseen. Now, players can talk to psychologists before and after matches, which is a huge step forward,” he said.

When asked about how athletes handle pressure in India compared to other countries, he said there’s a noticeable difference.

“Players in Western countries usually take criticism more easily, while in India and other Asian countries, athletes and their support teams are tougher on themselves. It’s stricter, but it also helps build resilience,” he said.

Orijit emphasised the importance of acceptance and preparation. “Pressure will always be there. It’s important to treat it as normal and find strategies that work for you. Take time off the court to think about situations that make you feel pressured and plan how you’ll handle them. Accepting pressure and preparing for it helps build resilience,” he said.

When asked about staying motivated during low points, Orijit shared his personal mantra: “The only way is through.”

He explained, “Whatever challenge comes your way, the only way to overcome it is by going through it. Every situation is a learning opportunity, and facing obstacles makes you stronger and a better athlete.”


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