SEVEN STARS: Meet country’s stars who return from Tokyo Games after delivering India’s best-ever Olympics performance

The curtains have drawn on the Tokyo Games and India capped off its best-ever performance at an Olympics with a seven-medal haul, including a gold. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the medallists and those who came within touching distance of glory but the beckoning podium just wasn’t meant to be.

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Neeraj Chopra: Gold

They say save the best for last and for India it came true at the Tokyo Games. Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra became only the second Indian to win an individual gold at the Olympics. After romanticising stories about “nearly there” for years, India finally had its first track and field medal winner, thanks to Chopra’s throw of 87.58m.

Interestingly, Chopra, the son of a farmer from Panipat’s Khandra village, took to athletics to lose weight. One day, his uncle took him to Shivaji Stadium in Panipat for some running. But Chopra wasn’t interested in it and almost instantly fell in love with javelin throw when he saw a few seniors practising at the stadium.

The 23-year-old, a Subedar with 4 Rajputana Rifles in the Indian Army, has been a consistent performer since bursting onto the scene with a historic gold in the Junior World Championships in 2016 with an U-20 world record of 86.48m which still stands. His other achievements include gold medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, besides the top finish at the 2017 Asian Championships. 

Bajrang Punia: Bronze

A favourite heading into the Games, Bajrang didn’t quite live up to the sky-high expectations of becoming the first Indian wrestler to win a gold, but the 27-year-old did return with a bronze, an impressive feat in a nation starved for success at the grandest sporting spectacle.

Bajrang has been passionate about wrestling since childhood, and why not, the sport runs in his blood. His father and elder brother, too, were ardent practitioners of the sport. As a kid all he wanted was to wrestle.

Men’s hockey team: Bronze

Four decades of excruciating pain was washed away as the Indian men’s hockey team clinched the bronze, the country’s 12th Olympics medal in the sport that came after a gap of 41 years. It wasn’t gold but it was enough 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 steamrolled 7-1 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. It seemed the team was destined to win.

Mirabai Chanu: Silver

The pint-sized weightlifter from Manipur lifted the spirits of the entire nation as she ended a 21-year wait for a medal in weightlifting, clinching a silver 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 Olympics rings, a gift from her mother who sold her own jewellery for them five years ago, the 26-year-old lifted a total of 202kg (87kg 115kg), finally exorcising the ghosts of her disastrous outing at the 2016 Rio Games where she had failed to log a single legitimate lift.

Born in a poor family in Nongpok Kakching village about 20km 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.

Ravi Dahiya: Silver

The 23-year-grappler born at the Nahri village of the Sonepat district in Haryana stormed to the final of the men’s 57kg freestyle event without any fuss. Although, he fetched a silver, his immense strength and stamina along with technical prowess impressed one and all. Born to a farming family, Dahiya is a product of the national capital’s Chhatrasal Stadium, which has already given India two Olympics medallists — Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt.

PV Sindhu: Bronze

One of the strongest medal contenders heading to the Tokyo Olympics, PV Sindhu delivered once again. This time, winning a bronze. The 26-year-old etched her name among the all-time greats after winning women’s singles bronze to add to the silver she won in Rio de Janeiro five years back. She became the first Indian woman and second overall from the country to achieve the feat.

Lovlina Borgohain: Bronze

Competing in her maiden Olympics, Borgohain carved a niche for herself in the history of Indian women’s boxing by clinching a bronze — India’s lone boxing medal 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 kickboxer, like her two elder sisters, before she turned to boxing. With the feat, she became only the third Indian boxer ever, after Vijender Singh and MC Mary Kom, to have a podium finish at the Games.