-: Ram Raj D :-
The dust of the New Year is settling and experts are going gaga over ‘The Year That Was’. However, time has indeed come to look forward to the year that would be, 2024 – especially in the field of sports, which also happens to be the year of the Olympics. While cricket continues to be the all-pervading sports for the Indian audiences, other sportspersons (very often unsung heroes) too have garnered glory in the past, giving oodles of hope for the future.
The biggest achievement for Indian sports in 2023, other than cricket, was in the Asian Games wherein Indian athletes garnered more than 100 medals, including 28 gold – a record feat in the annals of Indian sport. By the way, India has twice hosted the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982. Not to forget the fact that India at one time was a dominant force in hockey before new playing surfaces such as the astroturf and new formats (four halves instead of the traditional two) ensured the emergence of other hockey superpowers, mostly from Europe.
The performance of the Indian athletes in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (actually held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) wherein the nation finished 48th in the overall medals tally (one gold, two silver and four bronze medals) was its highest ranking in four decades. Neeraj Chopra’s historic gold medal in the men’s javelin event in Tokyo was the nation’s first in a track and field event since it gained independence from Britain.
However, the Indian athletes did the nation proud by winning 107 medals – 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze – in the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2022 (again held one year later in 2022). This was the best ever performance by the Indian athletes in the history of the Asian Games with their medals tally crossing the century mark for the first time ever.
Javelin thrower Neeraj was also in the forefront at the Hangzhou Asian Games when he warded off the strong challenge of compatriot Kishore Kumar Jena to win the gold medal. Neeraj and Kishore ensured an Indian one-two in the javelin event with more athletes following on their footsteps for the podium finish.
The Indian athletes also won 61 medals – 22 gold, 16 silver and 23 bronze – in the 2022 Commonwealth Games held at Birmingham in the United Kingdom. Neeraj Chopra had to withdraw in the last minute due to injury. The steady progress of the Indian athletes on the global sporting scene will surely have 1.4 billion hearts beating in sync during the Paris Olympic Games.
This performance has spurred Indian athletes to aim higher and perform better with sports association, Government organizations and academies realising the prospective potential of sportspersons given the right training and exposure. Some of the associations have started to put together a team of support staff, including coaches from different nations to ensure that the athletes get the best training opportunities and exposure.
The Indian women’s hockey team is all set to participate in the qualifiers at Ranchi, which is scheduled to begin from January 13. The women would like to erase the heartbreaking results of the Tokyo Olympics wherein they lost to the UK 3-4 in a close finish of the bronze medal match. The top three teams in the qualifiers will make it to the Olympics – 1.4 billion Indian hearts will keep their fingers crossed and pray that the home team makes the cut.
Speaking about the chances of the team in the qualifiers, senior player and midfielder Navneet Kaur said, “Arriving in Ranchi early has helped us gain quite a few sessions on the main pitch and it has also helped us acclimatize to this weather. Since we have also played in this venue before, during the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy, we know the pitch well. We also went and trained in Kunti district which is home to some of our teammates and it was incredible to see the excitement on the children’s faces who had come to cheer us.”
After overwhelming performances in the past, when they dominated the field hockey scene, the Indian men’s team found the going tough with the modernisation of hockey that also included the introduction of astroturf as a playing surface. The Indian men’s hockey team previously won the gold in the Moscow in 1980 – an event boycotted by the US and all its allies, including India’s arch rival Pakistan.
The men’s hockey team won bronze in Tokyo raising hopes of the revival of the game that had traditional roots in India. The Indian hockey team has ever since participating in various international tournaments, including winning the gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games, and practice matches. The gold at Hangzhou has resulted in automatic qualification for the Olympics and India will hope that the team can replicate the past glory in Paris.
(Pic, courtesy: https://www.paris2024.org/en/)
See also:
Controversies surrounding 22-yard cricket strip
Kruis takes over as hockey high performance director
