Yet another Olympic extravaganza has passed by, and this time, it has left an upbeat feeling in the Indian nation. Even though India won no gold medals out of the 6 it eventually won, the tally is the highest it has ever been in Indian Olympic history. And the fight displayed by its athletes in getting those medals was truly phenomenal. Shooting kick started the hopes for a medal as that was the event which won India a gold four years back. Great things were expected from Bindra and Gagan but it was Gagan who salvaged some pride by winning the bronze after Bindra fizzled out in the qualifying stages. Vijay Kumar was a surprise package and the way he started the finals was truly outstanding and he was going great guns but a couple of low scores in the middle rounds brought down his overall score and by the time it was all over, he was placed at a comfortable second position and silver was his for the taking. The man from the army who has never been promoted in the last 6 years despite numerous achievements in shooting, had delivered, and the much needed and the much deserved promotion should be rushing towards him anytime now.
Saina was a strong hope for a medal in the Olympics but it was never going to be easy getting past the Chinese. She lost in the semis but then luck smiled her way when her opponent in the bronze medal match, once again a Chinese, had to withdraw due to a injury. Saina has been really consistent with her play over the past few months and this was a good icing on the cake. But she really has to work hard to break the Chinese strangle hold in this sport and should target the gold medal next time around. Yet another lady to impress was Mary Kom, the short but fierce mother of twins, who took to Boxing to come out of poverty. She showed that whatever men can do, even women can do, if not better. The bronze was a tribute to her tenacity and dedication and she won the hearts of millions of Indians with her fighting spirit inside the squared ring.
Wrestling has been a very popular sport in India, especially in the northern states of Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab and 2 of its brightest stars representing India in the London Olympics were Sushil Kumar, the flag bearer at the opening ceremony, and Yogeshwar Dutt, a cop in the state of Haryana. Both started wresting at a young age and have over the years created more than just a name for themselves. Sushil Kumar was the bronze medallist in the 2008 Beijing Olympics whereas Yogeshwar had narrowly lost the quarter final bout in the same tournament. So hopes were soaring high, especially with Sushil, but it was Yogeshwar who drew first blood. He lost the Q/F bout to the eventual finalist from Russia, but then entered the fray again through the repechage and won 3 consecutive fights to take the bronze medal with a dramatic display of determination and never-say-die spirit. In spite of an injury which left him with one eye almost blinded, he ripped through 3 opponents within a span of 45 mins to earn a place on the podium. That medal seemed to be made for him and destiny ensured it stayed the same way. Sushil on the other hand, didnt have much of a problem and soon found himself in the finals against the Asian gold medallist from Japan. The entire nation came to a stand still at 6.30 pm on 12th Aug 2012 when they both faced off for the ultimate prize in Olympics. Though the match was pretty evenly poised, the Japanese held his nerve better and displayed enormous strength and skills to win the match 3-1 and break a billion hearts back in India. Nevertheless, it was a scintillating performance from Sushil to win the silver and he kept up his promise of changing the color of the medal. Sushil reportedly suffered from dehydration and vomiting before the fight and this may have impacted his performance but this is the Olympics and only the fittest survive.
In spite of these stupendous performances, there were some major disappointments too, the biggest one being the miserable journey of the hockey team which didn't win a single match in the entire tournament and finished last among the 12 teams. "Indian hockey is dead" remarked one former captain and its hard not to believe him. Bindra, the defending gold medalist was another medal hopeful this time too, but he failed to deliver. The pugilist, Vijendar Singh, too went down lamely and failed to make an impression. The fiasco among the Indian tennis players ensured that they were never going in with a positive frame of mind and the results weren't surprising. All of them were eliminated pretty quickly and this would be one episode which the sooner it is forgotten, the better it is for Indian tennis.
So, now it is off to Rio for the next Olympics in 2016 and seeing the various talk shows and public opinion, we are led to believe that the haul is going to be much more in Rio. Sure, there are great chances that it may very well happen but for that, the support from various quarters are needed and have to be sustained till the objectives are met. The government needs to build good infrastructure and provide state of the art training for all the promising athletes. Big corporate houses can also chip in with their sponsorship deals. The athletes need to believe in themselves and train hard. The public should keep voicing their support for these athletes at all events from time to time. Faith, hard work and unflinching support never fails.
Saina was a strong hope for a medal in the Olympics but it was never going to be easy getting past the Chinese. She lost in the semis but then luck smiled her way when her opponent in the bronze medal match, once again a Chinese, had to withdraw due to a injury. Saina has been really consistent with her play over the past few months and this was a good icing on the cake. But she really has to work hard to break the Chinese strangle hold in this sport and should target the gold medal next time around. Yet another lady to impress was Mary Kom, the short but fierce mother of twins, who took to Boxing to come out of poverty. She showed that whatever men can do, even women can do, if not better. The bronze was a tribute to her tenacity and dedication and she won the hearts of millions of Indians with her fighting spirit inside the squared ring.
Wrestling has been a very popular sport in India, especially in the northern states of Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab and 2 of its brightest stars representing India in the London Olympics were Sushil Kumar, the flag bearer at the opening ceremony, and Yogeshwar Dutt, a cop in the state of Haryana. Both started wresting at a young age and have over the years created more than just a name for themselves. Sushil Kumar was the bronze medallist in the 2008 Beijing Olympics whereas Yogeshwar had narrowly lost the quarter final bout in the same tournament. So hopes were soaring high, especially with Sushil, but it was Yogeshwar who drew first blood. He lost the Q/F bout to the eventual finalist from Russia, but then entered the fray again through the repechage and won 3 consecutive fights to take the bronze medal with a dramatic display of determination and never-say-die spirit. In spite of an injury which left him with one eye almost blinded, he ripped through 3 opponents within a span of 45 mins to earn a place on the podium. That medal seemed to be made for him and destiny ensured it stayed the same way. Sushil on the other hand, didnt have much of a problem and soon found himself in the finals against the Asian gold medallist from Japan. The entire nation came to a stand still at 6.30 pm on 12th Aug 2012 when they both faced off for the ultimate prize in Olympics. Though the match was pretty evenly poised, the Japanese held his nerve better and displayed enormous strength and skills to win the match 3-1 and break a billion hearts back in India. Nevertheless, it was a scintillating performance from Sushil to win the silver and he kept up his promise of changing the color of the medal. Sushil reportedly suffered from dehydration and vomiting before the fight and this may have impacted his performance but this is the Olympics and only the fittest survive.
In spite of these stupendous performances, there were some major disappointments too, the biggest one being the miserable journey of the hockey team which didn't win a single match in the entire tournament and finished last among the 12 teams. "Indian hockey is dead" remarked one former captain and its hard not to believe him. Bindra, the defending gold medalist was another medal hopeful this time too, but he failed to deliver. The pugilist, Vijendar Singh, too went down lamely and failed to make an impression. The fiasco among the Indian tennis players ensured that they were never going in with a positive frame of mind and the results weren't surprising. All of them were eliminated pretty quickly and this would be one episode which the sooner it is forgotten, the better it is for Indian tennis.
So, now it is off to Rio for the next Olympics in 2016 and seeing the various talk shows and public opinion, we are led to believe that the haul is going to be much more in Rio. Sure, there are great chances that it may very well happen but for that, the support from various quarters are needed and have to be sustained till the objectives are met. The government needs to build good infrastructure and provide state of the art training for all the promising athletes. Big corporate houses can also chip in with their sponsorship deals. The athletes need to believe in themselves and train hard. The public should keep voicing their support for these athletes at all events from time to time. Faith, hard work and unflinching support never fails.
