"The team did fantastically well and Indian sports today is looking bright, something which we could not have anticipated ten years ago. What we can do tomorrow is what excites me. Hope we continue growing from here to the next Games," said Gopichand at a felicitation function organised by the Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) co-founded by former shuttle ace Prakash Padukone and billiards wizard Geet Sethi.
Gopichand's star ward, Saina Nehwal, is among the four medalists in London who have been supported by OGQ, the others being pistol shooter Vijay Kumar, rifle shooter Gagan Narang and woman boxer M C Mary Kom.
Shuttler Saina, bronze medalist in women's singles, was unable to attend the felicititation function for the four OGQ-supported London Games medal winners due to prior commitments.
Gopichand, along with Mary Kom, Vijay Kumar and young boxer Devendro Singh, praised OGQ for the timely support it gave to the medalists in the run up to London 2012.
"We got a lot of support from the government while OGQ, through their vision, also gave us timely support which was very important," said Gopi, a former All England men's singles champion.
"I can't express my gratitude to OGQ. OGQ has been supporting from the time I had no sponsors. Their sport science team ensured that I moved from 46 kg to 51 kg (weight category) smoothly. They found a world class coach in Charles Atkinson for me and he really helped me to fight better against taller and stronger opponents," said Mary.
"Dr Nikhil Latey, head of OGQ's sports medicine team, has been with me throughout the last 2 years, helping me with my fitness, recovery and strength. I am very happy to win this medal," said the 29-year-old mother of two. (More)