India at Paris 2024: The Tale of Bitter-Sweet Moments

by | Aug 23, 2024 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

117 of India’s best athletes, carrying the hopes of 1.4 billion people, travelled to the city of love to compete in the world’s biggest sporting event. The country prayed for their triumphs, yearned for medals, and dreamed of glory. Although the outcome wasn’t what we had hoped for, we witnessed a story that deserved a better ending—one hindered by circumstances and luck. Yet, this story sets the stage for an amazing sequel, one we all eagerly anticipate.

India won a total of 6 medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics: 5 bronze and 1 silver. Statistically, this might seem like a step down from the previous Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where we clinched 7 medals. However, anyone who followed the Olympics closely knows that this was India’s best performance ever. The reason? Many near-misses. There were 6 instances where Indian athletes finished fourth, just missing the podium by a whisker. To add to the heartbreak, there was the unfortunate disqualification of Vinesh Phogat. Vinesh was on the verge of making history by becoming India’s first female Olympic gold medalist, only to be disqualified for being overweight by a mere 100 grams during the weigh-in on the day of the finals.

A billion tears flowed across our holy land. A nation was shattered, its dreams crushed, as its daughter was unable to shed the extra weight of carrying the burden of an entire country. This was the same daughter who had fought an extra battle off the mat, who had risen above injuries, who had defied all odds – only to be let down by destiny.

The Olympic medal was the only one missing from her illustrious career.

More moments of anguish followed for our athletes. Lakshya Sen, after an incredible run in badminton men’s singles, bowed out in a closely contested bronze medal match. Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Mirabai Chanu finished fourth in Women’s 49 kg weightlifting, falling just 1 kg short of the bronze medal—yet an incredible achievement considering she was returning from injury.

Three more near-misses occurred in Shooting. Manu Bhaker, hoping for a hat trick of medals, narrowly missed another bronze in the 25m pistol event. Arjun Babuta was a strong contender for gold at one point, but a lost shot in the 10m air rifle event dashed his hopes. Anantjeet Singh Naruka and Maheshwari Chauhan missed a medal by a single bird in the skeet mixed team bronze medal match.

India also had a chance to win its first medal in archery, but Dhiraj Bommadevara and Ankita Bhakat fell short in the bronze medal match against the United States.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

Amidst all these heartbreaks and controversies, there were still a few positives for the Indian contingent. The six medals our athletes managed to clinch were a source of pride. The first medal was a bronze by Manu Bhaker in the women’s 10m air pistol, which gave the country hope. A few days later, Manu won another bronze, this time in the mixed team event of the 10m pistol after an incredible team effort with Sarbjot Singh. With this feat, Manu Bhaker became the first athlete from Independent India to win two medals in a single Olympics. She also became the first Indian to qualify for three finals in the same Olympics. This cements her place as one of the best Olympic athletes the country has ever produced.

We must also acknowledge Sarbjot Singh, who put in a valiant effort to win bronze in the mixed-team event.

Another medal in shooting was brought home by Swapnil Kusale, the 28-year-old who had been waiting since 2012 for Olympic glory. He finally achieved his dream in the 50m rifle 3 positions event.

Just when it seemed like the Olympics wouldn’t be memorable for our wrestlers, Aman Sherawat came through to win a bronze medal. At just 21 years of age, he became the youngest Olympic medalist in Indian history. Competing in the 57kg freestyle, he demonstrated why he is the future of Indian wrestling.

The bronze medal won by the men’s hockey team is a story of redemption and hardship. After almost four decades, the Indian hockey team won back-to-back medals in the Olympics. Ranked No. 7 in the world before the Olympics, the Indian team defeated much higher-ranked teams, including Britain in the quarterfinals, and secured their first victory against Australia in 52 years. This bronze medal felt almost like gold, serving as the perfect tribute to retiring hockey legend PR Sreejesh.

India’s golden boy didn’t disappoint his 1.4 billion fans. Even though it wasn’t his day at the Olympics, he still managed to secure a silver medal in men’s javelin. But his biggest victory was something greater – he inspired half the nation to stay up until 1 a.m. to watch a sport that wasn’t cricket. No medal can top that.

As mentioned earlier, this Olympics is an unfinished story, waiting for an incredible ending. Our entire nation will be eagerly anticipating the sequel at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Now that our athletes have realised their potential, it will boost their confidence. This realization will push them to train harder and better. Our athletes will no longer just aim for a podium finish; they will set their sights on gold. We hope that the government and sports federations will continue to provide support as our athletes resume their quest for Olympic glory.

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