The Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics started on 23rd July 2021 and has finally come to an end today. And this year, the Olympic has been the best one for India since its first participation in the Olympic Games in 1900.
India this year hauled the Tokyo Olympics and shone with a total of 7 medals with a gold medal after 12 years for the Country.
With the best ever Olympics that has been to India so far, let's closely know our pride and heroic medallists of this year.
The Javelin Gold of India: Neeraj Chopra
After the strong golden throw of Javelin in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 on Saturday, Neeraj Chopra has become a name in the sports history of India inscribed in golden letters.
Son of a farmer from Khandra village of Panipat in Haryana, Neeraj Chopra is said to have taken athletes to lose weight. He fell in love with Javelin throw when he first saw a few seniors practicing at the Shivaji Stadium in Panipat while going there for a run with his uncle. Neeraj is also a Subedar with 4 Rajputana Rifles in the Indian Army. The 23 year old also holds the Under-20 world record of 86.48m which still stands. He is a gold medallist in the Junior World Championship in 2016, gold medals in the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, besides the top finish in the 2017 Asian Championships.
Neeraj gave a remarkable throw of 87.58m at the Tokyo Olympics and became the 2nd individual gold medallist from India after Abhinav Bindra at the Olympic Games.
Manipur's Pride Mirabai Chanu: Silver
This strong weightlifter from Manipur lifted the spirits of the entire nation as she ended a 21-year wait for a medal in weightlifting. Mirabai gracefully clinched a silver medal in the 49kg category to open India's account on the very first day of competitions on July 24.
Wearing gold earrings shaped like the Olympic rings, which were a gift from her mother who sold her own jewellery for them five years ago, 26-year-old Mirabai lifted a total of 202kg and grabbed her Silver medal for the country.
After the massive lose at the Rio Olympics in 2016 where Mirabai couldn't make a single lift, has grabbed her Silver at the Tokyo Olympics with an overwhelming heart.
Mirabai is born to a poor family in Nongpok Kakching village about 20 kilometres from Imphal. Chanu's childhood was spent cutting and collecting wood from the nearby hills, hauling them up by herself, and fetching water from nearby ponds in milk powder cans.
Though, Mirabai, the 2017 world champion had initially wanted to be an archer, fate had different plans for her.
After reading about the Manipur's legendary N.Kunjarani Devi's exploits in the weightlifting arena all over the world, inspired Chanu to take up weightlifting.
The Rave of Sonepat, Ravi Dahiya: Silver
The 23-year-wrestler born in the Nahri village of the Sonepat district in Haryana stormed to the final of the men's 57kg freestyle event strongly at the Tokyo Olympics. Although, he fetched a silver medal, his immense strength and stamina along with technical prowess was nothing less golden.
Dahiya is born to a farming family and is a product of the national capital's Chhatrasal Stadium, which has already given India two Olympic medallists — Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt.
He rose to prominence only when he qualified for the Tokyo Games with a bronze medal-winning effort at the 2019 world championship.
He has steadily grown in stature ever since he won the Asian Championship in 2020 and then defending the title this year.
Dahiya's father, Rakesh Kumar, would himself carry milk and butter to Chhatrasal Stadium, about 60km away from his home, every single day without fail to ensure that his son got the best diet.
The Badminton Queen, PV Sindhu: Bronze
One of the strongest medal contenders heading to the Tokyo Olympics, PV Sindhu delivered once again snatching a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics. 26-year-old Sindhu etched her name among the all-time greats after winning women's singles bronze medal to add to the silver she won at Rio de Janeiro five years back.
Born in Hyderabad, shuttler Sindhu rose to fame at the international level in 2014 when she won bronze medals in the world championship, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Asian Championships.
One of the most consistent performers, Sindhu has never failed to return with medals from each one of the big-ticket events she has participated in.
The Historical Winners of Hockey, Men's Hockey Team: Bronze
Four decades of disappointment and ache was washed away as the Indian men's hockey team clinched the bronze with the country's 12th Olympic medal in the sport that came after a gap of 41 years.
This bronze after 41 years was nothing less than gold for India to spearhead the revival of the sport in a country that attaches so much sentimental value to it. After the initial hiccup which saw the team being steam-rolled 1-7 by Australia in their second game, Manpreet Singh and his men made a strong comeback only losing to eventual champions Belgium.
While Manpreet inspired the team with his leadership, goalkeeper PR Sreejesh had a phenomenal tournament, standing like a wall when the opposition mounted an attack. It seemed the team was destined to win this year. How else could one explain the addition of Simranjeet Singh, who scored a brace in the crucial bronze playoff, when he wasn't even a part of the original squad and had been added following the International Olympic Committee's decision to allow "alternate athletes" in team events because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Laurel of Assam, Lovlina Borgohain: Bronze
The first Olympic medallist from the state Assam, Lovlina Borgohain carved a niche for herself in the history of Indian women's boxing by clinching a bronze in her debut at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 being India's lone boxing medallist at the Tokyo Games.
The 23-year-old, who was brought up in Baro Mukhia village of Assam's Golaghat district, used to be a kick boxer, like her two elder sisters, before she turned to boxing. A day before she was to leave with the Olympic-bound boxers group for a training camp to Europe, Borgohain had contracted COVID-19.
But the young boxer didn't allow the missed opportunity to become a barrier in her way to the Tokyo Olympics. Lovlina is a two times World Championship Bronze medallist and a two time Bronze Medallist in the Asian Games. With the feat, she became only the third Indian boxer ever, after Vijender Singh and MC Mary Kom, to finish on the podium at the quadrennial showpiece.
The Brawny Bajrang Punia: Bronze
Although Bajrang didn't quite live up to the sky-high expectations of becoming the first Indian wrestler to win the gold, the 27-year-old did return from Tokyo with a bronze medal, an impressive feat in a nation starved for success at the grandest sporting spectacle.
Bajrang has been passionate about wrestling since childhood, as the sport runs in his blood. His father and elder brother, too, were ardent practitioners of the sport.
As a kid, Bajrang always wanted to wrestle. As stories of his childhood circulated, onnce at a Dangal, when he was about 34kg, Bajrang insisted that he be allowed to wrestle but the competition was meant for those who weighed about 60kg and to the amazement of everyone, he pinned his opponent, giving a glimpse of his determination.
With a gold, 2 sliver and 4 bronze, these sports person of India will gloriously return back home where the people waits with a grand welcome.
Also Read:
