Tokyo Olympics 2020
The Tokyo Olympics 2020 is midway now. The joy of winning a medal on the opening day of the Tokyo Games has given way to multiple heart-breaks. Mira Bai Chanu was expected to do well and was always in running for a podium finish and she delivered by taking the silver behind China. Except for the below-par show by the shooters, other results are not actually surprising.
PV Sindhu did well by reaching the semifinals. She played like a world champion against formidable Tai Tzu-Ying but the Taipei player was class apart. Finally she became the only Indian woman to win two Olympic medals when she won the bronze today.
And if at all, it is the good show by the burly discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur in track and field events, where the Indians are weakest. Kaur emerged as only one of the two athletes to earn automatic qualification for the 12-person final with a throw of 64m.
Also read:
- Shuttler PV Sindhu becomes the first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals
- Sunday Snippets: An auspicious beginning for India in Tokyo Olympics
- Sunday Snippets: The drought still persist in Tokyo
Now that was a surprise because only javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was tipped to be India’s lone medal chance in track and field.
Let’s talk about the shooters first. Given the decent results at the World Cups and the build-up events, fans can not be faulted for having high expectations from the shooters, especially the young duo of Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhaker. But as it turned out none of the Indian shooters, save Saurabh, could qualify even for the finals. It was a far cry from what was anticipated and thus the disappointment.
The weapon malfunction during such a huge sporting event is rare and it had to happen with Manu. Add the negativity around her build-up due to the sour relationship with coach Jaspal Rana, the young shooter was not in the best possible frame of mind. In a precision sport like shooting, focus and concentration is everything. Such happenings are bound to rattle the young ones, who are new to the pressure of expectations.
The rifle shooters and the skeet shooters, too, caved in. Now only Sanjeev Rajput and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar are left in the fray for the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions. Let’s see if they can finish on a high.
The tennis players were not expected to go deep in the draws and they did not. Sumit Nagal got himself a good stat by becoming only the third Indian to win a men’s singles match by beating veteran Uzbek Denis Istomin. Given her form, Sania Mirza was not expected to do well. That she and Ankita Raina got close to winning the women’s opener against the Ukrainian Kichenok sisters, was in fact surprising. Sania was struggling with her serve at the Wimbledon and it was clear that it would need a miracle for them to get close to a medal round.
Talking about boxers, Amit Panghal was indeed a disappointment. Not because he lost but the way he surrendered to Colombia’s Martinez Rivas, a silver medallist from the 2016 Rio Olympics. That he is world number one, Panghal was expected to at least fight better but he went defensive in the last two rounds, which was surprising.
On the contrary, Satish Kumar, despite being injured badly in the pre-quarters, was brave enough to take the ring against world champion Uzbek Bakhodir Jalolov. He gets full marks for grit and gumption despite the defeat.
Mary Kom had a tough draw. She bowed out after a close fight against Ingrit Valencia but what was surprising was her comment that she got to know about her defeat, two hours after she lost. The referee had clearly gestured that Valencia has won. Kom is such an inspiration that her comment caught everyone by surprise.
Lovlina Borgohain though salvaged the boxing campaign by assuring India of at least a bronze.
Deepika Kumari yet again entered the archery competition as world number one and yet again she disappointed. Deepika and her husband Atanu Das were considered a medal prospect in the mixed event but the last-minute change in the team upset Deepika.
Pravin Jadhav pushed Atanu out of the team on the back of his better show in the ranking round. It was the right call of the team management but something Deepika could not cope with. Ideally, she should have focussed on her own shooting but that did not happen and they bowed out in the second round.
The individual events were always tough, though, Atanu posted the biggest win of his career when he beat Korean heavyweight and Olympic gold medallist Oh Jin-hyek. But the required consistency was not there and gradually India’s campaign got over.
The table tennis players too did not have consistent results though Manika Batra and veteran Achanta Shatah Kamal enjoyed memorable wins. Sharath took a game off Chinese legend Ma Long that gave him the confidence that he can continue in sport despite being 38-years-old.
The Indian men’s hockey team has progressed nicely after receiving the thrashing at the hands of Australia. Their defence, co-ordination and attack has only got better as the tournament has progressed. The win against reiging Olympic champions Aregentina was a huge boost. The women’s team on the side has struggled to maintain the intensity but is somehow hanging in. By reaching the quarterfinals, the Rani Rampal-led side has realised the initial target set by coach Sjoerd Marjine.
In the remaining half of the Games, all eyes will also be on wrestlers, Kamapreet and Neeraj Chopra.
– global bihari bureau
