Happy Outing for India in the 18th Edition of the Asian Games

The 18th edition of the Asian Games has been as good for India as the first one, at least in terms of medals. As in the 1951 Asiad at New Delhi, India has ended up with 69 medals, 15 of golden hue, in Jakarta and Palembang this time around. In quite a few disciplines, competition at the Asian level is of the Olympic level. Medals are increasingly hard to eke out, so it is a joy to see Indian players prevail at this level. The bout between Amit Panghal and Hasanboy Dusmatov in the 49 kg final will doubtless be replayed by upcoming Indian pugilists umpteen times in the coming days, such was the aggressive intent and tactical brilliance of the 22-year-old Haryanvi as he punched his way to gold against the reigning Olympic champion. Bajrang Punia in men’s 65 kg freestyle and Vinesh Phogat in women’s 50 kg freestyle took their golds in dominating fashion. The new breed of Indian competitors was best exemplified by 16-year old Saurabh Chaudhary winning gold in men’s 10m air pistol and 15-year old Shardul Vihan clinching silver in men’s double trap. And of course, there was 18-year old Hima Das, ebullient and fearless, with her hattrick of one gold and two silvers in the 400m races. After being pushed to silver by Bahrain’s world-class import Salwa Naser in women’s 400m and mixed 4x400m relay, Hima got her own back against the Naser-led Bahraini quartet when she wrested a huge lead in the opening leg of women’s 4x400m relay to ensure India’s fifth consecutive gold in this event since 2002. Swapna Barman scripted a rousing 2-day odyssey of sheer grit in women’s heptathlon, grabbing gold with her face plastered due to a severe tooth infection. Another revelation was Rahi Sarnobat, holding her cool in the nerve-wracking final in women’s 25m pistol that went to two shoot-offs after a tie, thereby becoming the first Indian woman to win an Asiad shooting gold. Neeraj Chopra, flagbearer of the Indian contingent in the opening ceremony, lived up to his billing with a javelin gold; Tajinderpal Singh Toor in shot put and Jinson Johnson in 1500m were also gold medal prospects who delivered. Pleasant surprises were served up by Manjit Singh coming from nowhere to win the 800m and Arpinder Singh giving his country gold in men’s triple jump after 48 years. The 15th gold for India was harvested by two venerable players in the country’s debut in bridge at Asian Games — 60-year old Pranab Bardhan and 56-year old Shibnath Sarkar in men’s pair. It is a delightful achievement in a sport the country has immense potential to excel in, as it does in another intellectual game which is chess.

A few silvers and bronzes this Asiad must also be seen in proper perspective, signifying that India is moving onto higher echelons or breaking new ground in some disciplines. PV Sindhu’s silver and Saina Nehwal’s bronze in women’s badminton is a first for the country in Asian Games, though their continuing defeats to World No.1 and eventual gold medallist Tai Tzu Ying calls for joint strategising by their think tanks. In table tennis, India’s two bronzes in men’s team and mixed doubles events should serve as a foot in a hitherto closed door. The Indian men’s and women’s archery teams lost in the finals to their South Korean counterparts, the men having to stomach an agonising loss by a whisker. In martial arts, there was one silver and one bronze in kurash while four bronzes came in wushu. But in hockey, kabaddi and weightlifting, there was gloom for the Indian contingent. In some disciplines, Indian participants earned medals in spite of their federations messing things up. Fouaad Mirza, fresh from training in London and Germany, secured a silver in equestrian jumping and then helped power his team to silver in the team event. But this came on the back of the equestrian federation first selecting the team, then declaring it null and void due to infighting between office-bearers, the Indian Olympic Association dropping the team from the contingent, the Sports Ministry finally clearing a 7-member team, accreditation coming in the last minute, and the horses brought in from Chennai and Belgium without grooms! In 49er FX event in sailing, Varsha Gautham and Sweta Shervegar claimed silver and then revealed they had only six days of actual training. Why? Because they had not been chosen by their federation and reached Jakarta only after a court battle, so much so that they thought of quitting at least a dozen times in the past four months! In squash, the Indian team suffered after Egyptian coach Achraf El Karargui quit before the Commonwealth Games, citing acute differences with the squash federation for “high-handed and unprofessional conduct”; the players did garner one silver and four bronzes, but missed out on two expected golds this Asiad. Dutee Chand’s two splendid silvers in women’s 100m and 200m sprints should end the debate over hyperandrogenism, which saw her ostracised by the IAAF for naturally occurring extra testosterone in her body. As for Hima Das who was disqualified in the 200m heats due to false start, there ought to be some serious soul searching back home here. After she went on Facebook Live to blame two persons in Assam for putting her under “tremendous pressure”, speculation has been rife that an athletics official and a senior media person may have wrong-footed her with thoughtless talk. What we need to remember is that while the State is basking in the exploits of this emerging sprint talent, she must be properly supported but left strictly alone to run for greater glory.