Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra has come forward to address growing concerns about World Chess Champion D Gukesh's recent performance struggles, suggesting such phases are completely normal for athletes following major career achievements.
The Champion's Recent Challenges
Gukesh, who made history by becoming the youngest World Chess Champion in December after his stunning victory against Ding Liren in Singapore, has faced significant challenges throughout 2025. The chess prodigy suffered an early exit from the prestigious Chess World Cup and hasn't secured a tournament victory since his world championship triumph.
However, the young champion's year hasn't been without notable accomplishments. Gukesh has recorded impressive victories against chess legend Magnus Carlsen and secured a strong second-place finish at the Tata Masters tournament held in Wijk aan Zee. His most recent defeat came against Germany's Frederik Svane during competition in Goa, raising questions about his form ahead of his World Championship title defense scheduled for next year.
Bindra's Psychological Insight
At a recent press conference, Bindra offered his perspective on Gukesh's situation while carefully noting he hasn't personally spoken with the chess champion. "I have to start with a disclaimer, I haven't spoken to him. If I say something, it might be completely irrelevant to him. I don't know what's going on in his mind," Bindra stated cautiously.
The Olympic shooting champion elaborated on the psychological aspects of post-success phases: "But I think it is very normal for athletes to—after having massive success—to have a period of motivation loss or just a quiet period. It is just normal. It is just the same in every athlete's case."
The Path to Recovery
Bindra emphasized the importance of returning to fundamentals during such periods. "I think the most important thing is to just go back to your basics, to go back to your foundation, to go back to the drawing board," he advised.
The athlete-turned-mentor used a powerful mountain climbing analogy to explain the recovery process: "You've reached the mountain and climbed this peak. And human nature really is that we want to jump to the next peak. But you simply can't jump to the next peak. You have to climb that peak down and then step by step plug the gaps that have come, cropped in and then work on the foundation and go back again."
Bindra highlighted the energy depletion that often follows major achievements: "The only advice that I would really like to give (Gukesh) is all of this requires an immense amount of energy. And sometimes, after having achieved such high success, you are a little bit drained. An individual is human to be drained, not just physically, mentally, emotionally."
He stressed the importance of recovery time: "It sometimes just takes a little while to really get your batteries completely recharged and full so that you can start thinking really clearly of what your next goal is or what you want to do next is."
The Reality of Competitive Sports
Bindra didn't shy away from discussing the harsh realities of professional sports. "Because again, the reality in sport, for an athlete, the unfortunate reality in sport is that yesterday never counts. You are only as good as what you are on that particular day," he explained.
The Olympic champion described the constant pressure athletes face: "You win and then the very next day the world is asking for more proof: If you are good enough, good enough to what you were yesterday, good enough to what will you be up to the next challenger."
Despite these challenges, Bindra remained optimistic about Gukesh's future prospects. "But that is what we have to face and that is what every athlete has to undergo. But I think as long as you continue to find joy in what you are doing and keep putting in the right effort, you will be out. It's a normal cycle that the athlete faces," he concluded.
The insights from one of India's most decorated athletes provide valuable perspective on the mental and emotional challenges that often accompany extraordinary success in competitive sports.
