From the Indian standpoint, the Paris Olympic Games was the most cathartic one seen in this century. Never before have so many Indian athletes come so close to winning medals and yet missed the mark by such narrow margins. It scarred players as well as fans. It seemed as if bad luck had chosen India as its target and was unwavering in its aim.
The biggest disappointment came when Vinesh Phogat was disqualified after she had seemed to be on the verge of winning the gold medal. That incident will be remembered as one of the unluckiest moments of Indian sport. It will be ranked alongside Milkha Singh’s fourth place in the Rome Olympics in 1960 and P T Usha’s miss of a bronze medal by 1 /100th of a second in the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984.
Bindra’s message to Vinesh
Former gold medalist shooter Abhinav Bindra consoled Vinesh with a beautiful message. He wrote: “Not all victories end up as medals. Some end up as stories that we tell our children.” Bindra is right. The name of Vinesh Phogat will always live in the stories of Indian sport.
Broader picture
But it is necessary to take a look at the broader picture too. India bagged five bronze medals and one silver. Six of our athletes finished in fourth place. Even if our fourth-placed athletes had won a bronze each, we still would have had a total of eleven bronze medals and one silver.
Is that sufficient for a country which boasts of a flourishing economy with plenty of funds to develop sports? When are we going to match China, Japan and other nations? It is time for the administrators of sport to take a serious look at the issue and improve their functioning immediately. The same goes for the athletes too. They should not be satisfied with mere bronze medals. It is time to reach for the sky.
Heed Prakash Padukone’s words
The words of Prakash Padukone must be heeded. He said that Indian players need psychological training, apart from physical fitness. Lakshya Sen seemed to have lost his nerve on the big stage. But he can win medals in the future. A few others like wrestler Nisha Dahiya and boxer Nishant Dev need to be encouraged. They can win medals in the future. The bronze in hockey was a high point. Skipper Harmanpreet Singh scored ten marvelous goals. Indian hockey seems to be on the right track. The momentum has to be maintained.
India’s success stories
Our shooters Manu Bhaker, Sarabjot Singh, and Swapnil Kusale gave us something to cheer about. Manu Bhaker was outstanding. A lot more can be expected from shooting. Abhinav Bindra said that this was a sport which was rising rapidly in India. We have many outstanding shooters still coming up and in future we can expect more medals he said.
Competition between USA and China
During the final stages of the Games, it was clear that the race for the top spot on the medal table would be between the USA and China. Like two thoroughbred racehorses, the two nations went neck to neck in a battle royal for the top spot. Sometimes within the same day, the lead would change places. Sometimes China was on top and sometimes the USA.
The race was finally decided on the last day of the competition. What clinched the issue in favour of the USA was the sport of basketball. While the US men’s team defeated France 98-87 to take the gold, the US women’s team defeated France by the narrowest of margins at 67-66. So for France, it was a double blow.
China kept fighting till the end. There was tremendous pressure on its players to win more gold medals and overtake the USA. A few hours before the closing ceremony, the last gold medal for China was won by woman weightlifter Li Wenwen in the women’s 81-kilo class. The massively built Chinese woman lifted an unbelievable 309 kg to give China its 40th gold medal.
In the end, both China and the USA had a tally of 40 gold medals but the USA had more silver and bronze medals and therefore took the first spot on the medal table. Japan was third and Australia the fourth while host France took the fifth. India was placed far below at rank number 71.
Introspection needed
Now India must do a lot of introspection and figure out why it failed so miserably. One hundred and seventeen athletes were sent to Paris but we got only six medals. Undoubtedly, there was an element of bad luck but even with its fair share of luck, India would not have finished in the top 20.
India must improve its standards and do so with great haste. If India goes ahead with its plan to host the Olympics in 2036, we cannot afford to place at rank 70. If we do so, we will become the laughingstock of the world.
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