With the most important contingent ever, 117 athletes, India went to Paris with the expectation of touching the double-digit medal tally for the primary time.It was an extended shot, however there was hope.
India began effectively, with shooter Manu Bhaker profitable a bronze in girls’s 10m air pistol on Day 2 of the competitors on July 28. Two days later, Bhaker created historical past by changing into first Indian to win a number of medals at an Olympic version, put up independence, when she partnered with Sarabjot Singh for a bronze in combined workforce 10m air pistol occasion on July 30.
The hope for a double-digit medal tally was additional ignited when Swapnil Kusale gained India’s first medal in rifle 3P occasion. Kusale struck bronze in males’s 50m rifle three place on August 1. Three taking pictures medals was an ideal begin after the game drew clean within the final two editions in Rio and Tokyo.
(L-R): Prime – Manu Bhaker, Sarabjot Singh, Aman Sehrawat and Neeraj Chopra; Backside – Indian hockey workforce and Swapnil Kusale. (ANI Picture)
However India endured an extended medal drought within the subsequent seven days, which left India’s hope of touching double digit figures in tatters. From there on, the race was to match the Tokyo success if not bettering it.
It had just a few medal prospects line-up for the final 5 days of motion. Neeraj Chopra was there, the hockey workforce was nonetheless in, weightlifter Mirabai Chanu and wrestlers had been additionally in rivalry.
On the eleventh day of the competitors,
Vinesh Phogat assured India a medal by changing into the primary feminine Indian wrestler to enter the ultimate. Nevertheless it was adopted by devastating information the very subsequent day, when the grappler was disqualified for being 100g chubby for her 50 kg freestyle last. It was a giant jolt for the nation as a positive shot medal was worn out. The IOA and the wrestler have filed an attraction for a silver medal on the Court docket for Arbitration for Sport (CAS), whose verdict is now anticipated by August 13.
A day earlier than the Vinesh fiasco, the Indian hockey workforce misplaced its semi-final towards Germany, leaving them to compete for bronze once more. And so as to add extra distress, India’s lone weightlifter in Paris, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, a Tokyo Olympic silver medallist, missed out on a medal by ending fourth within the 49kg occasion.
The subsequent day, August 8, was a vital one for India as its greatest gold-medal prospect, defending champion Neeraj Chopra, was competing within the javelin throw last.
The day began effectively for India. Earlier than the massive javelin last, the Indian hockey workforce beat Spain 2-1 to win successive bronze medals on the Video games. It was the primary back-to-back medals for the hockey workforce in 52 years.
Within the huge javelin last, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem outclassed your entire area with an Olympic document throw of 92.97m in his second try. Tokyo gold medalist Neeraj Chopra responded with a season greatest throw of 89.45m quickly after Nadeem’s monstrous try. However Neeraj failed to enhance his mark and needed to accept a silver ultimately.
The 2 medals on August 8 took India’s tally to 5 – one silver and 4 bronze.
On the identical day, younger wrestler Aman Sehrawat misplaced his semifinal bout and his bronze match the subsequent day was one of many few medal prospects left for the nation on the Video games. Sehrawat didn’t disappoint and gained an emphatic bout to turn into the youngest Indian medalist at 21 on August 9.
India’s marketing campaign ended on the penultimate day of the Paris Olympics, after wrestler Reetika Hooda went out of medal rivalry.
So the ultimate rely for India is six medals – one silver and 5 bronze. Fairly brief from their preliminary ambition of a double-digit determine and a bit behind their greatest outing ever in Tokyo.
Manu Bhaker: India’s Historical past-maker At Paris Olympics 2024
So, was it a flop present for India or is there progress regardless of not enhancing the medal tally?
Abhinav Bindra, India’s first particular person Olympic gold medallist, praised the Indian contingent for his or her commendable efficiency.
“I believe it has been a spirited efficiency. All our athletes have carried out at a excessive stage,” Bindra stated, emphasizing the importance of their efforts. “We might have six medals to indicate on our tally, however should you actually go in-depth into performances, we’ve by no means had a Video games the place our athletes have been so aggressive throughout disciplines, lots of them have been near medaling.”
It is true, India had fairly just a few close to misses in Paris. It had as many as six fourth place finishes along with Vinesh’s disqualification. So, seven extra medals had been in touching distance for Indian athletes this time round. If solely two of them had transformed into medals, India would have had their greatest haul ever.
So, Bindra just isn’t fallacious. Indian athletes have competed at a really excessive stage throughout disciplines and had been very near medalling too. Therefore, we will not name it a complete catastrophe as there are fairly just a few enhancements. However being the world’s most populous nation and with ever enhancing services for numerous sports activities, the variety of medals anticipated and gained by the Indian athletes on the Video games are nonetheless far behind the world requirements.
