Gold rush: Indian archers hit mark twice, Dipika-Harinder smash it in squash in Asian Games

Rohit Mahajan in Hangzhou

India’s Asian Games medal count rose to a new high, 86, on a day urgent intimations of mortality left their imprint on the minds of some matchless achievers in Indian sports.

Saurav Ghosal, India’s greatest squash player, realised that he’s approaching the end of the road. Badminton queen PV Sindhu, two-time Olympics medallist, is grappling with uncertainty, at age 28, after a medal run lasting over a decade in international events came to an end here. Dipika Pallikal Karthik, 32 this December, could feel her two little boys — twins, not yet two — tugging at her heart, for they’re back home in Chennai. She might not remain long on the road, too.

Dipika and Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu, no spring chicken at 34, won the mixed doubles gold in squash; the day’s two other gold medals were hauled in by the men’s and women’s compound archery teams. There was some good news too from badminton, with HS Prannoy reaching the men’s singles semifinals — assuring India a first men’s singles medal since the New Delhi Asian Games of 1982, when Syed Modi had won bronze.

Ghosal was heartbroken yet again, after being beaten for the second time in an Asian Games final. He lost to Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng, 12 years his junior. Ghosal doesn’t know if he’d be around at the next Asiad in 2026. The sadness is too deep for him to make a decision about his future. “I’m sad. Squash has been my life, and I won’t be hasty in making a decision after this,” he said.

Dipika, who has had to train hard to lose weight — she still is more plump than ideal, though she’s good enough for team gold — seemed to be the most thrilled among India’s medallists today, radiating positivity.

“We sacrifice a lot of things,” she said about women sportspersons giving up their career on becoming a mother, or even marriage. “But we must not give up on our dreams. It’s very important for women to feel empowered… It’s OK to take the time off to do what you love. It’s OK to have kids and come back to sport.”

The guilt of working women at leaving kids home, she said, is something they must live with. “I know that that guilt will always be there — I’m feeling the guilt of leaving my kids for two weeks,” she said. “I know I’m doing something worthwhile. I know when they grow up, they’ll know that their mom wasn’t holidaying in Hangzhou… She was working to win a medal for the country, for them.”

Sindhu, winner of silver at the Jakarta Asiad five years ago, was left chasing shadows by China’s He Bingjiao, losing in straight games.

Prannoy, 31, is also on the last lap of his career, yet he gave rise to hope for India for the rest of the Hangzhou Asiad.

Prannoy, troubled by back spasms, played out of his skin to beat Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia 21-16 21-23 22-20. He was suitably pleased with himself for pulling through despite being in discomfort. “I’m not at all in a condition where I could say I’m 80 per cent all right. To pull off something like this, I would give a lot of credit to myself. The will to fight was always there. That paid off,” said Prannoy. What would Ghosal not give to be 31 again, or Sindhu to turn the clock to 22 once more!

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