Ace boxer Nikhat Zareen may not have won a medal at the Olympic Games in Paris but she was given a big welcome when she returned to Hyderabad recently. Among those who were present at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Shamshabad was her former coach Omkar Yadav.
“Naturally she was disappointed after her loss but she is our girl. We cannot let her feel sad and so we decided to be present at the airport to welcome her when she returned to Hyderabad,” said Omkar Yadav.
Analysing her loss to the Chinese opponent Wu Yu in the Paris Games, Omkar said that Nikhat is a good boxer whereas the Chinese girl was a fighter not a boxer.
“Let me explain what I mean by this. A boxer is one who has technique and style. The best example of a stylish boxer was Muhammad Ali. It was beautiful to see him in action. A fighter on the other hand is one who relies on brute force. It may not be a pleasing sight for people who want to see good technique. The best example of a fighter was Mike Tyson. He got results mainly with power and not much else,” said Yadav.
“I coached Nikhat when she was a 12-year-old girl. In those days, at my own risk I sent her to compete against older opponents. Many of my colleagues warned me and said that she may get seriously injured while boxing against older opponents. But I knew that she would be able to cope with the challenge. I could see that she had a natural gift,” said the coach.
What went wrong?
“In Paris two things went against her. There was too much pre-event hype. That may have created pressure on her. On top of that her seeding was taken away because of administrative wrangling between the boxing federation and the IOC,” said Yadav
“Therefore in the very second round Nikhat came up against Wu Yu who is a world champion and member of the armed forces in China. Nikhat could not get her flowing style going. A boxing competition lasts just three rounds of three minutes each. If you cannot adapt within a few seconds, you cannot win. That is what happened to Nikhat,” said Omkar Yadav.
Sreeja Akula’s achievement
Table tennis star Sreeja Akula gladdened the hearts of Hyderabadis with her display of fighting spirit in the Paris Games. She achieved the highest rank for an Indian table tennis player by rising to a world rank of No 22. The International Table Tennis Federation updated its ranking list on Tuesday and placed Sreeja at number 22 based on the points that she had accumulated in her career.
Anything below 25 is considered extremely good and so Sreeja has made Hyderabad proud. Sreeja and Manika Batra became the first Indian players to reach the round of 16 at the Olympic Games. Sreeja then lost to the top-ranked Yingsha Sun of China but her fight impressed one and all.
A laudable move
One of the praiseworthy decisions made by the organisers of the Paris Olympics was to have sports stalls outside every venue. What is a sports stall? It is just like any other stall selling various merchandise but in this case, the stalls have facilities to play table tennis, sport climbing badminton, etc.
They offer children the opportunity to play different games and learn the rudiments of the game by playing with and against other players who have been posted at these stalls for that purpose. These stalls have become popular with children who have come to witness the competitions and entertain themselves by playing a sport they choose.
A sporting gesture
Chinese badminton player He Bingjiao won the hearts of all spectators after winning a silver medal. She lost her final match and had to settle for the silver. But the reason why she could play in the final was because in the previous match her Spanish opponent Carolina Marin had to withdraw after suffering an injury. Marin was about to win when she suffered the injury and had to leave the contest.
But it was not just the Spanish girl who was saddened by that unfortunate injury. The Chinese opponent also felt unhappy at the misfortune that had hit her rival. Bingjiao offered her heartfelt sympathy to Carolina Marin.
Later Bingjiao won the silver medal and stood on the podium with the medal around her neck. But in her hands, Bingjiao held a pin showing the Spanish flag. The gesture honored Carolina Marin and indicated that the Spanish girl deserved a medal. After this Carolina profusely thanked Bingjiao for her sporting gesture. These displays of friendship between opponents in the midst of cutthroat competition are a welcome sight at sports events.
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