It’s said in gymnasium back rooms, in the dugouts, in the bellies of stadiums, even among the frustrated elite athletes who believed they would never lose – the difference between a podium finish and the also-rans is the contrast between victory and glory. Reach for glory and you grab the stars, pluck the medals. Everyone in the Olympic programme aims for victory; but exactly three get on the podium of those who ran, jumped, fenced, shot, cycled or whatever, into Olympic glory.
When India’s track and field athletes line up, they do understand the difference. But it’s also unfair to thrust so much pressure on a bunch of whom realistically only one has the capability to understand the difference between victory and glory. It’s unrealistic to line them up in a hierarchy of sorts.
Did anyone believe that 47 years back, while the afternoon sun still had the packed Montreal’s Olympic Stadium in its warm embrace, the Canadian fans and international athletes watched a slim 5’10 Indian taking on Cuba’s legendary track star Alberto Juantorena, also known as El Caballo (The Horse) lead in the opening lap of the 800m. Now, if Sriram Singh had hung on for 350 metres more, glory would have been India’s. Juantorena won the 800m and then picked up the 400m gold becoming the only athlete in history to have both Olympic titles. Later, he credited Sriram for helping him break the world record with a timing of 1:43.50.