So, there was the first medal in track-and-field which also happened to be the first gold in 13 years and the first medal in hockey in 41 years.And it all happened at the Games which carried the tag of troubled long before the opening ceremony, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Neeraj Chopra, Mirabai Chanu, PV Sindhu and Indian men hockey. Pics/PTI
It started with a bang, tapered off in the middle and then ended with the kind of spectacular fireworks that make historic events grand. India was quite literally on a roller-coaster during the Tokyo Olympics.
So, there was the first medal in track-and-field which also happened to be the first gold in 13 years and the first medal in hockey in 41 years. And it all happened at the Games which carried the tag of troubled long before the opening ceremony, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Mighty impressive? No, it was way more than that. India’s campaign at the Olympic Games was as much a story of human resilience as of sporting excellence and it came to the fore on the opening day of competitions itself starting with Mirabai Chanu.
The Manipuri weightlifter lifted 202kg (87+115) to fetch a silver and put India on the medals tally. It was just the kind of start that the country needed but what followed was a lull. Some top contenders bowed out without making an impact, the biggest disappointment being the 15-strong shooting contingent.
It seemed that the Indian campaign had hit the disaster note early and would not be able to recover. But along came shuttler PV Sindhu and put things back on track with her bronze. And in the boxing ring, Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) from Assam ended with a bronze.
Ravi Kumar Dahiya became only the second Indian wrestler to clinch a silver at the Games. Hours before that came the hockey medal, a bronze worth its weight in gold. The stage seemed set for a grand finale and it was with Neeraj Chopra’s javelin striking gold, India’s first medal in athletics. Bajrang Punia’s resolve paid off for him with a bronze on the wrestling mat.
So, India’s performance at the Games was bigger than the seven medals. It reflected confidence. And in that lay the country’s story of progress in sports. India is not quite there yet but is certainly inching closer one step at a time.
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