India finished 48th on the medal tally in Tokyo, its highest ranking in over four decades (if one were to go by the total number of medals, India would have actually finished 33rd. However, ranking is done primarily based on gold medals won). The previous best in this period was the 51st rank finish at Beijing in 2008, when India won three medals, including Abhinav Bindra's gold.
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India has finished significantly higher in the era in which it used to win gold in hockey, but that time is not really comparable both because of the dozens of countries that have come into being since then and the expansion in the number of sports and hence medals. In Moscow, for instance, India finished at 23rd rank but with just a solitary medal, the hockey gold. A repeat of that at Tokyo would have placed India at joint 63rd, a measure of how different the two eras are.
In London 2012, India had finished 57th despite winning more medals than in Beijing because the medal table ranks countries by gold, silver and bronze in that order and India didn't win a gold in London. In Rio in 2016, the medal tally crashed to just two and so did the ranking to 67th. From there, it's now gone up nearly 20 places.
SEVEN SAMURAI
1 gold, 2 silver, 4 bronze - India produced it's richest-ever medal haul and the finest performance of all time at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which ended on Sunday. Here are the men and women of steel and thunder who made India proud and gave the nation something to cheer about in these dark times of a deadly pandemic.
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GOLD
NEERAJ CHOPRA | Athlete
There were bigger names with better records in Tokyo. But while most succumbed to the pressure of the big stage, the 23-year-old boy from Haryana's Panipat district relished and revelled in the moment. Following his golden throw, millions became emotional on hearing the national anthem at the Olympics for the first time since Beijing 2008. A fitting climax to the story of Neeraj Chopra, who chanced upon the sport while trying to lose weight and who overcame a clutch of injuries to give Indian athletics its greatest moment on the world's biggest sporting stage
SILVER
SAIKHOM MIRABAI CHANU |Weightlifter
Much was expected from Mirabai Chanu at Rio 2016. She flopped, failing to make a single clean and jerk lift. The pressure to deliver was crushing at Tokyo 2020. But coached by Vijay Sharma, the amiable 26-year-old from Manipur made light work of the heavy weights to clinch a silver with a smile in the 49kg category. Redemption had never been more satisfying and sweeter for the woman who picked up logs to gather winter fuel for her family as a child
RAVI KUMAR DAHIYA |Wrestler
He was ranked world no. 4. But in the run-up to the Olympics, the focus was hardly ever on the 23-year-old Olympic debutant from Sonipat. Unmindful, Kumar produced a performance of stunning audacity and endurance while trailing 2-9 against opponent Nurislam Sanayev in the semis. Desperate to get out of his iron grip, the Kazakh bit him badly in his forearm but Dahiya wouldn't let go till the tide was turned. Dahiya fought hard but lost in the final to become India's second silver medal-winning wrestler after Sushil Kumar. A fiercely determined athlete, he could well improve upon his medal colour in 2024
BRONZE
MEN'S TEAM|Hockey
None of them was born when India last won an Olympic medal in hockey. But nothing, not even a potentially morale-sapping 7-1 loss to Australia, could stop captain Manpreet Singh's boys from their tryst with the podium. The defeat spurred them to deliver one superlative performance after another, resulting in a bronze playoff. The match against Germany was for the ages. You can keep watching India's 5-4 triumph for the rest of your lives. But this team holds the promise of many more wins to come
PV SINDHU |Badminton
In the early stages in Tokyo, she looked below her best. But like a finely-tuned precision instrument, Pusarla Venkata Sindhu hit the perfect notes as the tournament peaked. She simply swatted aside Chinese He Bing Jiao 21-13, 21-15 in the bronze medal playoff to add a second Olympic medal in her kitty. When it's PV Sindhu, once is not enough
LOVLINA BORGOHAIN |Boxing
Covid-19 affected her preparation. But the tall pugilist from Assam tried to make the best of the situation. She lifted LPG cylinders, worked in the paddy fields to keep fit. In Tokyo, Lovlina showed the world she could fearlessly box with the best. Five feet, nine inches tall, she used her long reach to devastating effect to fashion an amazing medal story
BAJRANG PUNIA | Wrestling
He was carrying a knee injury. And the opponents knew it. They attacked his legs. But in the battle for third spot, the 27-year-old from Haryana's Jhajjar district produced a stellar medal-winning performance against Kazakhstan's Daulet Niyazbekov, a wrestler who had beaten him earlier. The scoreline 8-0 tells a winner's story scripted against hard physical odds
AND OTHER HEROES OF TOKYO 2020
WOMEN'S TEAM| Hockey
Some came from the Maoist-infested interiors of east India, others from the patriarchal villages of Haryana and Punjab. But trained by Dutch coach Sjoerd Marjine, the girls developed unlimited self-belief and played with passion, singeing three-time Olympic medal winners Australia in the quarters. They narrowly missed out on a medal, losing 3-4 to Great Britain in a humdinger. But few sports lovers will forget captain Rani Rampal, Gurjit Kaur, Grace Ekka, Vandana Katariya, Savita Punia and Salima Tete. This was the real Chak De India story, only better
KAMALPREET KAUR| Athlete
The 25-year-old from Kabar Wala, Punjab showed tremendous self-confidence to claim the sixth spot in women's discus. It was a world-class performance from the six feet, one inch tall athlete who works as a railway clerk. With age on her side, Kaur will only be fitter and stronger, and throw further in Paris 2024. As cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar rightly tweeted, "Sometimes we win, sometimes we learn. Hard luck, Kamalpreet. We are proud of you for giving your best & representing India at such a big stage. This experience will only make you a stronger athlete in the future"
DEEPAK PUNIA | Wrestler
The talented 22-year-old from Haryana's Jhajjar district displayed his class and commitment in the 86kg category but was unlucky to go down in the dying seconds of his bronze medal bout. His disappointed foreign coach, unfortunately, crossed a line and was rightly expelled from the Games
ADITI ASHOK | Golf
Of all the memorable performances in Tokyo, hers was the most serendipitous. Not many Indians, barring sports fans, were aware of Aditi Ashok. But the 23-year-old from Bengaluru forced everyone, including global golf experts, to sit up and take notice as she matched the world's best, putt for putt. She stayed in the medal hunt on all four days and missed a podium finish by a single heart-breaking stroke. Aditi Ashok didn't bring back a medal, but has set a high benchmark for every golfer in India.
Source: Times of India
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