Rio is my sixth Olympic Games as a covering journalist. I am fortunate enough to witness an Indian medal in each of these six Games. Naturally it was an honour and pleasure to be at Atlanta when Leander Paes emulated KD Jadhav and became the second Indian to win an individual Olympic medal. Then I saw Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Abhinav Bindra, Sushil Kumar, Vijender, Saina Nehwal, Mary Kom, Vijay Kumar and Gagan Narang.
But nothing gave me more pleasure than watching Sakshi Mailk winning the bronze.
Sakshi achieved the feat when Indian contingent was contemplating returning empty handed. There was total depression in the Indian camp. So much so that even a large Indian media corps in Rio was not spared.
Waiting outside the Games Village for that vital sound byte was embarrassing. Every time a journalist from another country passed he would ask, “Any medal today?” A smile or a frustrating gentle nod was the only answer India media persons would have.
But that one medal changed everything. As a journalist, we could now face fellow journos from some 210 countries.
The mixed zone, where athletes come to the waiting media for flash quotes appeared to be cramped. Portuguese was pushed behind. Hindi was the buzzword.
Like always, Indian politicians also invaded the `mixed zone’ where they were not supposed to be. But then the organisers also overlooked rules for a while, simply because they had just seen Sakshi registering a brilliant win over her Kyrgyz rival.
Post-medal Sakshi also looked a completely changed person. A usually quite girl, she was at her eloquent best. She answered questions posed by Indian media with total elan. The girl who had always remained under the Phogat shadow, was thrown to the wild world of media.
But she remained cool, often cracking an odd wise one. When I pointed out to her the new equation she smiled and said “Now it is over to Malik family.’’
She was hinting at national coach Kuldp Malik.
Ever since Narsingh Yadav arrived in Rio there has been speculation over his participation. This had caused a serious depression in the Indian camp. But Sakshi’s medal put the issue behind — at least for a while. This afternoon the issue is going to be taken up by IOC.
It was particularly disturbing to see Vinesh writhe in agony following knee injury during the competition. An aggressive and courageous wrestler, she was carried away on a stretcher with tears in her eyes. In the championship in Las Vegas she had suffered a similar injury. But there, she was lucky to have completed the competition with leg wrapped in ice pack.
The Pro Wrestling League staged in India in 2015 has also helped Indian wrestlers mingle freely with some of the top wrestlers. After all they were their teammates in the League. It has helped Indian wrestlers overcome the usual shyness. Many of them chatted with foreign wrestlers helping them ease tension.
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