The London Olympics got a grand close, just like the
wonderfully British Welcome they had received 17 days back. It is surprising
how these Games got over so fast. They were to last for 17 days. How these 17
days raced past us, cannot be expressed in words! I guess my favourite part of
the Opening Ceremony was Voldemort making his grand entry. As an avid Harry
Potter fan, there is something in that guy that makes me love him for being a
part of Harry’s world. This is what happens when a series that made the
formative years of your childhood, comes to an end. You end up liking all the
villains too, because they remind you of that wonderful story that filled you
up with hope, courage and the effervescent feeling that you are not, and will
never be, alone.
My second favourite moment was the sequence of the Queen entering the Ceremony. Having the knowledge that Royals have a code of behavior
that cannot be shaken, I felt that it was really sporting of the Queen to agree
to show the fun side of herself too J
My third favourite (and this is because it is my favourite
in every Olympics) was the lighting of the Olympic Flame. There are so many
ways to do it. Trust Danny Boyle to take the kinkiest, most beautiful way. The
petals provided to each country came together to burn together, as if to
signify the message of the Olympics in fire : Peace, Brotherhood and
Togetherness. Thank You for that spectacle Mr. Boyle. If nothing else, this
shall be remembered for generations to come.
I want to take this Opportunity to list down some athletes
who struck a chord, who scripted history, who got those medals, whose smiles
and happiness at winning, showed why the Olympics are so special.
At the top of the list :
ANDY MURRAY:
So it the usual practice for me to support Andy Murray when
Rafa isn’t around. Andy has had the misfortune of playing in an era when there
are three players (Rafa, Roger, Novak) better than him. Try as hard he can, he
can’t beat them all. Umtimately, he ends up getting beaten by one of them any
way. People (and these three too) say that Andy’s time will come. But, hey,
time doesn’t wait for anyone. Andy’s chances of winning a Grand Slam seem to
get slimmer by the day. A month back, I abandoned watching the Wimbledon Final
between him and Roger because, after a breath-taking first set, he played a
loser’s game and managed to lose a match that could’ve left him saying, “I won
the Wimbledon. Now I can die in peace.” Instead, on that podium, he cried his
heart out. Imagine my terror when he was set to play Novak in the Semi-final of
the Olympics. I had relegated him to the bronze medal match. It was such a
relieving surprise to read that he won that match in straight sets!!
But, then came the opponent for the Gold Medal. Roger
Federer. Man, I couldn’t believe his luck. Federer had managed to get past Del
Potro ( who I like for the simple reason that he won that US Open back in 2010,
beating both Novak and Roger) in three sets, the third 19-17. That was not a
result to get, especially when you support Del Potro. Any way, point is, this
Final would be a repeat of the Wimbledon Final. I couldn’t see a different
result. But, a different result is what Andy had in store. He played like a
MANIAC. I can imagine how Einstein must’ve worked when he started to solve the
problem that lead to E=MC*2. Andy got a Gold Medal instead. A fine gold medal
at his own Olympics.. That day, Mr. Andy Murray, you just pushed yourself up by
a 1000 steps. You can only go forward from here J
Thank You J
USAIN BOLT:
A bolt of lightning. Frankly, I don’t watch much of
Athletics. But, at the Olympics, that is my main attraction. And Mr. Usain Bolt
comes and steals your breath away (and I mean just one, max two breaths, ‘coz
he finishes his races in that much time!!) It is so difficult to defend your
own titles. Especially, when they come in timings like 9.63 and 19.32 seconds.
But, you did it. In style. Wow.
They can talk about Yohan Blake, Tyson Gay, Justin Gatlin,
Asafa Powell all they want. You are Usain Bolt. And, you shall beat them any
way. I actually stayed up to watch your 100m and 200m final. Just to watch you
win. It was worth every minute of the staying J
That’s saying something for races that, combined, took less than half a minute
:-p
By the way, Volunteer kid Chris is a really lucky guy. He
got your cap with a 2 minute conversation. What would I do to be in his place!!
MICHAEL PHELPS:
There is one and there shall always be one. Beijing is
remembered for two things: The grand opening ceremony and Michael Phelps and
his astonishing octet of medals.
Obviously, it was difficult this time. You wouldn’t be human
to win Golds in all the six events you’d entered into. This time there were
Silvers and a Bronze around your neck. Hey, different colours always look good J You became the most
celebrated athlete in Olympic history. 22 bloody medals!! 22. 18 golds. They
presented you with that trophy. That just isn’t enough. 22 medals!! Wow. You
have inspired not one, but two or even three generations to take up swimming.
I feel so incredibly lucky to be born in an era where you
have been at your best. Out-of-the-world stuff, and I was there to watch it!!
Great stories for the next generations to come J
MARK ZONDERLAND:
I don’t know whether you’ll be able to produce a
near-perfect spectacle like that again, Mr. Zonderland. But, for that Gold
Medal performance and your infectious smile, I shall look out for you next
time. Thank You for that one-minute trip to Wonderland!!
DAVID RUDISHA:
One Man Army. In the real world, you do not lead a 800m race from the start and still manage to finish first, let alone break your own world record in the process. But then, Mr. Rudisha wasn’t running in the real world any way. He was running in the Olympics. He was running his own race. The first individual world record to be broken at the London Olympics, and there couldn’t be a better guy to do it. Hats off Sir. Hats off. You are a wonder!
SUSHIL KUMAR:
But that is what sets this guy apart. He managed to keep
himself grounded, practiced hard, won important tournaments when it mattered
and gave himself confidence and hope that he could win again. He said he would
change the colour of his medal. That he did. With a lot of confidence. A Silver
Medal to the guy who was made the Flag-Bearer of India in the Opening Ceremony.
A deserving choice for that honour. Today, he is the only Indian to have two
consecutive medals in the Olympics. I can’t think of anyone who deserves this
piece of history more than Sushil Kumar. Proud to be an Indian J
MC MARY KOM:
If there were a few people I would bet on, for Gold medals,
she would head that list. Her story to success is, in itself inspiring. Then,
you see her. You see her confidence, her smile, her humility. You get inspired
further. A married woman, mother of two kids, a woman whose husband gave up
everything to see her succeed….a boxer who reached several heights of boxing
throughout her career but who could never get a chance to enter Olympic glory.
When she finally did, she was 29 and her weight category wasn’t included. She
boxed her way to a Bronze (Nicole Adams is just too strong) medal. It was
disappointing, but then, she got a Medal. That, she does deserve. Every single
bit. We don’t know where the road will take you next, Mary Kom. But, wherever
you go, every woman shall come to you and say, “Thank You.” You’ve given us
what we all dearly need in this country. The confidence to fight.
PARUPALLI KASHYAP:
Admidst all the celebrations for Saina Nehwal, one person
has been forgotten. This is the first Indian Male player to reach the badminton
quarter-final in the Olympics. Wow. He wasn’t even tipped as a medal contender.
He was just another of the Badminton squad sent to London. While all the
limelight was placed on Nehwal, Jwala Gutta-Ashwini Ponappa and Gutta-Diju, Mr.
Kashyap probably just practiced on his own, getting his best shots in order to
stand a chance.
They say Luck and God favour the bold and hard-working. That
is exactly what happened. Mr. Kashyap was nicknamed “Giant Killer” as he set
about contriving the defeats of top-ranked players. This was true sports. No
hye, just plain sweat, toil and determination. He had to bow out in the
quarters to that Malaysian guy who won the Silver. During that time, he
captured the imagination of millions (and the hearts of many girls, I’m sure.
He’s pretty cute J).
I hope you improve upon your performance in Rio. Would love to see a Bronze at
least, against your name, Mr. Kashyap.
GAGAN NARANG:
The shocking news of Abhinav Bindra crashing out of
qualification seemed hard to digest to the entire nation. I guess, the
defending champion not being able to enter the final, made us forget that there
was another, a stronger and more stable, Indian in the fray. And, in pretty
good form too. That final was nerve –racking. You didn’t seem at your best.
Other than Mary Kom, you were my bet for the Gold. You deserved it, after 2
previous heart-breaking Olympics. But, then, does the colour really matter? A
medal is a medal. Its not like the Gold Medalist worked much harder than you
did. A Podium finish. That’s what you wanted, and that’s what you got.
India’s first medal in these Olympics came to a guy, who
really deserved it. That medal means more to us than a Gold. We llok forward to
many more J
VIJAY KUMAR:
An Army-Subedar participated in the Olympics, and the nation
didn’t even know. Then that Army-Subedar won the first Silver of these
Olympics, ans suddenly the whole nation was singing praises of this guy, as if
they had been sure of him all along. Welcome to India J
Vijay Kumar, you are the epitome of concentration and
restraint. People would jump about and dance if they’d won silver. You looked
back with a slight smile on your face and raise your hand. That’s it. Army
really does discipline you completely.
That final was fantastic! You were in medal contention
throughout. And, really, that Silver was what you deserved and no less. Wonderful,
wonderful, wonderful. You came out of nowhere to capture the imagination of the
nation. I hope you manage to maintain that. Thank you J
OSCAR PISTORUS:
Around two years back, a double amputee dared to dream about
competing with the able-bodied. Others would have been happy competing in the
Para-Olympics. Not Mr. Pistorus. He
challenged, questioned, fought. Ultimately, he got what he wanted – a chance to
compete in the London Olympics 2012. What is inspiring about this guy is his
will and guts. He knows he has to work twice or maybe thrice as hard as the
rest to match up to them. But, he won’t give up. That is what works for him.
Luck favours the brave and again it did here too. South
Africa made it into the Final of the 4X100 relay although they couldn’t
complete the heat, thanks to a push by some Kenyan Athlete. He pushed the
second South-African down and he ended up with a dislocated shoulder. South
Africa appealed and they got into the Final. Yes, they came 8th.
But, you know what, Oscar Pistorus ran like there was no future to his
existence without this race. He ran the race of his life. And I saw the race of
my life. You totally deserved to run in that final. Seeing you run, I know I
have one of those inspiring moments I can look back upon when things aren’t
looking up for me. Bravo!!
GAIR MARIAL:
He wanted to run but his country has no Olympic Committee.
How could he manage to get here then? In the spirit of the Games, the IOA put
forth their hand. And Marial ran under the Olympic flag. I waited 17 days to
watch him run in that Men’s Marathon. When he crossed the finish line, he had
created his own history. When you want to do something and you find yourself
facing a load of obstacles, stop and think calmly. Usually, there is a way out.
Marial proved it. So good to know that when you want something really bad, you
manage to somehow figure everything out J
CHRIS HOY:
Yeah, you’d won a cupboard full of medals before. Yes, there
were younger players out there. Yes, this is your last Olympics. But, yes, you
had the determination to do it yet again (7th medal I think, and 7th
gold). The oldest guy in the pack came away with the Gold. And then, not just
Britain, the whole world raised a toast to a legend who ended things in style
and how. You ROCK!!
SAINA NEHWAL:
It was disappointing to win the Bronze the way she did. But,
I’m selfish and I’m glad she won it. This girl’s been one determined woman. She
hasn’t gone the Sania Mirza way. Instead, she has managed to keep herself
grounded and yearns to keep winning. Yeah, I think she deserved a lot more than
a Bronze. But, it isn’t easy to scale that Chinese mountain. You can’t get it
your way everytime. I’m happy for her but I wish that in Rio, she does manage
to change the colour of that medal.Yes. That’s the people who really made an impact on me this time. I enjoyed watching every bit of the Olympics. I can’t wait for Rio 2016…the only regret is that, well, everyone will be four years older, including me :-p
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