0061
By
Rajat Subhra Chatterjee
These are some real life success stories that not only warm our hearts but stand to inspire generations. The 19th Asian Games at Hangzhou has pitch forked a revelation in Indian sports as Indian contingent has created record in securing 107 Medals as of now which is so far the highest. Let us share with success stories first.
First thing – first Joy of Hope. Ace Archers, Jyoti Surekha from Vijayawada and Ojas Deolate from Nagpur have been India’s Athletes of the Games. Both have three Gold Medals in this Games. Wah !
So Rohan Bopanna at 43 won the Gold in mixed doubles partnering Rutuja Bhosale in the Asian Games at Hangzhou. Rohan belongs to that little elite group of Indian Tennis players who rose and attained the highest International standard. However, recently watching Davis cup tie against Morocco, I was bemused to have witnessed extremely poor standard of Indian Tennis today. After Leander, Bhupati, and Bopanna, we don’t have any one to speak about. No one is seen on the horizon to be coming up as next Sania Mirza as well. Very sad state of affairs. There have been plenty of Tennis Academies throughout the country, yet what are being produced have left lot to be desired. Are the coaches not up to the standard to impart modern coaching or there is really dearth of talent ? It is inconceivable that talents are hard to find out in such a vast country with so many tennis academies !
Hockey India is back in its golden days. With consistent coaching and persistent support from Odisha Chief Minister Navin Patnaik, Indian Hockey has been at top form in this Asiad. Beating Pakistan 10-2 in the group match at Hangzhou has been astonishing. Bagging the Gold beating Japan 5-1 in the final helped India secure a place directly in the Paris Olympic in 2024. Indian Women’s team also won the Bonze beating Japan.
In Badminton Men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty headlined India’s campaign, winning India’s first-ever doubles Gold medal beating Korea 21-18, 21-16. What they have achieved, not ever been achieved. In Hangzhou, India also picked up a Silver in the men’s team event in spite of brilliant play by Lakhya Sen in singles and the pair of Sairaj-Setty but suffered thereafter due to the absence of H S Pranay through injury in the final. However, Pranoy returned with a bronze in the men’s singles. This reminded us the days of great Nandu Natekar, Dipu & Ramen Ghosh, Dinesh Khanna, Prakash Padukone Syed Modi. They encountered the likes of Danish Star Erland Kops who had won All England singles crown seven times and doubles title four times, or Rudy Hartono, the super Indonesian holding the record of winning the men’s singles title at the All-England eight times, seven times consecutively from 1968 to 1974. He won the World Championship in 1980 on his only attempt at this title. However, P V Sindhu has been a disappointment.
Squash has mostly been a fringe sport in India with majority of people thinking it to be for the privileged ones in the country. However, the perception has changed in recent times and a strong bunch of players have come in to make India, a formidable force increasing the awareness of the sport.
There has been a mixed feeling with Saurav Ghosal, possibly playing his last Asiad at 37 having already brought a Team Gold, was dreaming for his most elusive Singles Gold even after contesting in seven Asian Games. This time too he lost out in the finals and settled for a silver, though India got its Squash Gold in Mixed Doubles through Dipika Pallikal and Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu.
But if one takes a look at other sports, one will feel proud as these bunch of sportsmen and women are now household names. Look at Table Tennis, Boxing, Shooting, Archery, Wrestling, Golf, Kabadi, Volleyball, and of course Athletics – both track & field – suddenly there have been a surge of grand performances that have encrypted India’s name bright in these sports.
Have we ever thought that any Indian would win in Equestrian, Wushu, Sailing? Did any one know the names of Anus Agarwal ? Or Roshibina or Neha Singh ? In a country, where Cricket is close to a religion, it is unexpected that these names would be discussed before this Games. In Equestrian, Raghubeer Singh had won Gold in 1982. But because of inadequate infrastructure, Equestrian was almost a forgotten game in India. Anus from Kolkata La Martinière, in getting the Gold, had trained in foreign land and have brought glory to the Nation.
A teenager Neha Singh from a poor farmer’s family in MP in winning the Silver in Sailing has made us understand that young generations are getting hooked in to these unpopular sports also.
What is Wushu ? Also known as kung fu, this is a multidisciplinary martial art that is believed to have originated in China. In this game, boys and girls from the Hills are excelling because of their physical flexibility. Roshibina from Manipur got us a Silver in spite of severe civil disturbances in the area for quite some time now.
Did we hear about Aditi Ashok who brings historic golf Silver, missing the Gold narrowly? Table Tennis has so far been a not-too adored game in India. Now with Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee pair after winning against World No 1 Chinese pair, fought gallantly in the Semi Final for seven games against the Koreans and settled for Bronze, is bound to take the game in every house hold.
In Sepak takraw– Indian Women made us proud in bagging the Silver.
It is heart warming that Indian Men’s and Women’s Kabadi teams have won Golds.
Neeraj Chopra alone had made Indians sit up with awe and now keenness has been increased to follow his sport. Hangzhou Games will be remembered for India winning both Men’s and Women’s Golds in Javelin throw through Neeraj and Annu Rani. India bagged a silver too in Men’s event through astonishing throw by Kishore Jena with a distance of 86.77 M behind Neeraj’s 88.88 M.
In shooting, a bunch of youngsters are coming up fast. Winning medals in this Games, Esha Singh, Polok Guliya Shift Kaur are now making us smile. Shift Kaur has left her MBBS course and plunged into shooting. Her candid confession after winning the Gold was: “ name and fame is much more in winning sports medal than getting a medical degree.” She went on admitting that she had not done anything wrong in leaving the medical education.
Who will forget Gold wins by Tajinder Pal Singh Tur in Men’s Shot Put and Avinash Sable’s Gold in 3000 M Steeplechase ? Avinash doubled it up with a silver in 5000 M race too.
Since bursting onto the scene a few years back, Avinash has fast established himself as India’s premier long distance runner of this generation. From a farmer’s family in Mandwa, Maharashtra, Avinash was recruited in the Indian army and within his first two years of service, Avinash Sable survived two climatic extremes. While Siachen’s temperatures dipped in the negatives regularly, Rajasthan’s desert swathes took it up to 50 degrees. That’s how Avinash was made of steely nerve to have won a Gold and a Silver. Unique.
When the Indian Men’s team in 4x400M relay was being lined up, even the most optimistic would have their fingers crossed as the last time India won the 4X400m relay was in 1962 Jakarta Asian Games when Daljit Singh, Jagdish Singh, Makhan Singh and Milkha Singh clocked a then Games record 3:10.20. Yet this team of Amoze Jacob, Rajesh Ramesh, Md. Anas, Md. Azmal won the Gold creating a National record in 3:01:58. Wonderful ! Nostalgia gets repeated.
Harmilan Bynes won a double silver in 1500M and 800M. Her mother Madhuri Singh also won her silver in 800M in 2002 Asiad.
Seema Puniya, the 40 year old Haryanvi threw her Discus to 58.62M to claim the Bronze at Hangzhou. Seema has been a two times Asian Games medalist, having won Gold at Incheon Games in 2014 and a Bronze at Djakarta in 2018. She has also Commonwealth games medal in her kitty.
Ancy Sojan Edapilli. Twenty two year old from Trichoor was no where in the . talking as far as medal was concerned. But she jumped to 6.33 M to win the long jump silver.
Archery has been a revelation. Gold has come in Mixed Compound Archery through Ojas Deolate and Jyoti Surekha Venam. Both Men’s and Women’s teams have won Golds through tremendous performances by Jyoti Surekha, Aditi Swami, Parneet Kaur in Women and Abhishek Verma, Ojas Deotale, Promothesh Jaokar in Men’s team. Then in individual event both Jyoti and Ojas bagged Golds, Ojas beating compatriot Abhishek Verma 149-147 while Jyoti beating South Korean 149-145. Both Jyoti Surekha from Vijayawada and Ojas Deolate from Nagpur have been India’s Athletes of the Games.
Have we closely looked at twenty four year Joyti Eyaraji, standing on the podium? Drapped in Tri-colour, the Silver medal winner in 100M hurdles was looking completely shattered and bent in utter grief plunged in self reality, with a peace of paper in hand where it was written – “ Goutam, this is for you. We miss you “. Who was Goutam ? Her mentor and who brought her in to athletics and who was killed in a bike accident just a month back. She had other reasons as well. Initially she was being disqualified for false start along with her Chinese competitor but fought her way with the officials and got her through in the race finishing third. However, fortune smiled at last on her as the Silver winner was ultimately got disqualified for false start and Jyoti got the Silver.
In Women’s 3000 M Steeplechase, two Indian athletes took the podium. Parul Choudhary and Priti Lamba. While Parul won the Silver, Priti, got the Bronze. Parul doubled it up with a magnificent Gold in 5000 M.
Actually achievement through toiling head to toe with astonishing agility, fitness, skills and stamina with ‘will to win’ and a mind set not to ‘give up’ neither to ‘give in’ have been of paramount factors for success in sports. Bravo.
What suddenly has happened that India are excelling in these games ? The fact is this that Indian Govt. has been encouraging these games, clustered under Olympic regulations, for last decade or so and that is why a consistent approach to success was being written on the wall.
One hard fact though is required to be remembered. Indian sports federations in recent times have mostly been managed, headed and dominated by Political persons. Suresh Kalmadhi, once the much maligned Head of IOC and Governing Body Chairman of the Delhi Commonwealth Games had been infamous for his notoriety. In fact 47% Heads / Secretaries of Indian Sports Federations have been political appointees. No harm so long correct and unbiased decision making process continues.
Football has been a big let down. Sixty years back India was Asian Games champions. Remember, those Indian footballers were used to playing a 25+25 = 50 minutes football in domestic competition. Yet they played 90 minutes International football with ease, efficiency and with astounding results without much fuss. Strong contingents were sent in Olympics and in 1962 Djakarta Asian Games, 1964 Mardeka tournament till 1970 Bangkok Asian Games when India won its last medal in football – a Bronze. This time too, a proper planning and finalizing the national football calendar would have ensured release of better players. Not that things would have been vastly different as Asian Games Football is mainly an Under-23 Tournament with only 3 senior players allowed, yet India should have the right to field its strongest team at least.
The million dollar question now – will any of these medal winners get even a fraction of what an Indian Cricketer gets – in cash or in kind ? Will there be any benevolent coming forward to bestow with life time sustenance for these medal winners ? One JSW will not be enough. Indian Sports need many more.
Well, well, I was just missing to mention that both Men’s and Women’s Cricket teams also have won Golds in Hangzhou Games. No credit taken away from the players, yet the most over hyped and over rated game in the world is played really amongst 10 Countries with few minnows also taking part in this. And Indian Men’s Team getting Gold in spite of an incomplete match was close to blasphemy as India was adjudged winner being the higher ranked team in the tournament ! Bigger fallacy than England winning 2019 CWC.
This transition from Cricket to other sports in India is a welcome change and focus and interests in these games even by urban youngsters are really refreshing for the future of Indian Sports .
Go India, Go.
