Olympics 2021
As the day ends , another Olympics is nearing it’s completion . And what a year it has been !
While India has returned with a modest 7 medals , especially considering it’s size , I believe each one of these 7 medals are worth more than gold for the impact they will have on the sports scene in India .
It was after 40 long years that India stood on the podium to get a medal in hockey . Such was the journey of the sport in India , from reveling as Kings for decades to slowly decaying till to where a sponsor was not even available for the team . While the men’s team only snagged a bronze , andthe women’s team barely missed on one is besides the point . The whole country was united in watching the sport once more . This resulted in there being lesser spotlight on the ongoing Test series in England , and for a cricket crazy nation like ours , it is no small feat !
Wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Ravi Kumar respectively won bronze and silver in their separate categories continuing the stream of medals given to India from this sport . An ample sign that we have great potential in the scene and ready to be world leaders .
In the Rio Olympics , PV Sindhu got a silver , and she continued her splendid performance in Tokyo with a bronze . Facing a tough opponent in TY Tai , Sindhu gave it her all , but failed to match her opponent’s tenacity . But a dominant third place match showed the her determination and will to succeed , becoming the first Indian women to win two medals in the Olympics .
Reminiscent of Mary Kom was Lovlina Borgohain , who faced down opponents with more experience and more fame than her , coming on top of most to win a bronze . This shined new light in a sport thought to be dying and on it’s last embers , especially in the women’s half .
Not to forget the medal that started it all , Chanu Mirabai’s silver in weightlifting . Previously having only one medal from this sport , it was encouraging to open our medal tally on day 2 itself , and with such an impressive performance .
And to end the list , the crown jewel . Only the second person to get an individual gold for India , Neeraj Chopra was the first athletics medal obtained by an Indian . The Javelin maestro set the bar with only his second throw , and none crossed it . This medal alone gave a boost to the Indian athletics scene as a whole : setting a precedent , a marker that it has been achieved and hope that it will be repeated , especially since Chopra is only 23 years old . Neeraj Chopra was always a contender going to the finals , but this gold medal was a boost to the morale India needed .
For a nation of a billion and more , the amount of raw talent we have yet to unearth is bound to be enormous . It is noteworthy to remember that while Chopra worked extremely hard to reach where he is , it is by pure coincidence that he decided to pick up the javelin at all . A fateful day at the SAI center possibly fast tracked the discovery of a score more Chopras , who would have gone unnoticed .
On this note , I believe that while we still are in the process of finding new talents in sports , it is delightful to see more and more variety cropping up in the amount of sports and their dedicated players . As quoted by Times of India ( 8th August 2021 ) , we only spend 6 to 7 paise per capita everyday on sports , while China spends 6 to 7 times that . This is the sign that we are under utilised and yet to tap into our talent . This Olympcs will surely be the catalyst that helps us pit our best players across numerous fields on the world stage !
Before I end , I would like to apologise for this week’s post being more narrative in nature . Have a great week ahead !