Honestly, the scenario looked more upbeat for Indian athletes in Tokyo Olympics. Winning a Gold, two Silvers, and four Bronzes along with the outstanding performance of the Indian women team in Hockey that barely missed the medal. Moreover, Aditi Ashok didn’t miss the chance to redefine the role of Indians in Golf by finishing at the fourth position.
Surely, the name Neeraj Chopra is going to make the headlines for months, for he has made Milkha Singh’s dream come true. Neeraj Chopra dedicated the Gold to Milkha Singh, the one who missed out on the Olympic medal by a whisker in Rome Olympics, 1960. It was his last wish to retrieve that slipped medal, which ultimately turned back home in 2021. Thanks to Neeraj’s dedication and more to his stubbornness which never let him back off from his aspiration to win Gold for India. All the wealth and respects are his earnings which can never outweigh the pride which he brought for us.
Well, Mirabai Chanu was the first to add a feather to our cap; by winning a silver medal in weightlifting, 49 kg category. On the very first day of the Tokyo Olympics, she bagged a silver for us by lifting 202 kg to better Karnam Malleswari’s bronze in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She was so happy that she didn’t mind bringing her failure to the public in Rio Olympics, and assured everything happens for a reason.
Our second Silver Medallist Ravi Dahiya narrowly missed at registering gold for our nation and lost it to ROC’s Zavur Uguev who is two times world champion. He hails from Haryana’s Nahri village in Sonipat district, who rose to fame after that he joined the club of medal winners. He represented India in the freestyle 57 kg category at Tokyo Olympics. Ravi Dahiya became the second Indian Wrestler to win silver after Sushil Kumar, who won it in the London games in 2012.
For the time being, we must appreciate the bronze medallist Bajrang Punia, who claimed it, despite suffering a knee injury in Russia in the build-up to the Olympics. He put forward some of his thoughts, which must be admired. Not only he talked of the importance of the Olympics in an athlete’s life but also taught us the behavioral response towards an athlete.
This became an absolute Hurray! The moment for us to see Lovlina Borgohain as well carrying Bronze for us. She became the first medallist from Assam in Olympics. She clinched a bronze medal in boxing and helped India add to its tally another achievement. She is welcomed aboard among the bronze winners at Olympics alongside Vijender Singh and Mary Kom in boxing. They had won bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics respectively.
Not to our surprise once again PV Sindhu has proved her prowess by clinching the Bronze at Tokyo Olympics. With this, she became the first Indian women athlete to win two consecutive Olympic medals. No one but these Indian girls knows who are struggling really hard to prove themselves eligible for that podium of success and these Medal winners are their role models who are paving their way to help those denied to confront our orthodox society.
Well, after a long wait, once again Indian men’s and women’s Hockey teams proved themselves the epitome of champions. While the men’s hockey team won a medal after a course of 41 years, the women’s hockey team made it to the bronze medal match. Also, it was the first time that the Indian women’s team reached the podium and made it tough for the Australians to reach the semi-finals. Though they couldn’t manage to bring us the medal it was the best ever-finish by the Indian Women’s Hockey Team after the 1980 Mosco Olympics.
With all of my efforts, I glorified our champions with my words and they are truly worth it. It is the need of the hour to put our belief in them, for they are putting in us, the hope, that their spectacular performance will stimulate our sense of worthiness. As it is well said:
‘Before you win, you have to believe you are worthy.”
– Millard Nelson