Rio Olympics 2016: The journey of India's athletes in pictures
The curtains have been drawn on one of the biggest shows on earth with arguably the best ensemble cast, and we will have to wait four years before the tickets with ‘Olympics’ written on them are sold. For India, Rio 2016 meant a lot of things. If one is asked to sum up India’s campaign in the fewest words possible, there would be quite a tussle between two groups, one trying to call it a ‘disappointment’ and the other, rather more appropriately and optimistically, a ‘reality check’.
Rio 2016 showed us a mirror which said that there is still a long time to go before India can fetch medals in double digits at the Olympics.
At the same time, there were some really bright spots who, despite failing to win medals, showed that all hope is not lost. The dissection of the contingent can and will go on for some time. But before we wrap up our coverage of the Rio Olympics 2016, here is a look at some images from the Games that will be remembered for a long time to come by the sporting enthusiasts in the country.
1) PV Sindhu unfurling the tricolour on the podium after she became the first shuttler to bag a silver, giving India its second medal of the Rio Games
2) Coming from a state with the worst sex ratio in the country, Sakshi Malik gave a new meaning to woman empowerment by claiming a bronze in Wrestling, to end the drought of medals in the Games for the country.
3) Dipa Karmakar shone in gymnastics, a sport in which an Indian female had never qualified before. She finished 4th in the vault final to miss out on bronze by a whisker, but won the hearts of all her countrymen.
4) The flag-bearer of the Indian contingent and India’s only individual gold medallist, Abhinav Bindra, agonisingly missed out on a medal in what was his last appearance on the Olympics stage.
5) 18-year-old Aditi Ashok came close to springing a major surprise in a sport where no one was expecting much from India. Her good showing will definitely help in drawing attention towards the sports in the country.
6) Lalita Babar gave India its best performance in track and field events since PT Usha’s efforts in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. She was phenomenal in the heat but couldn’t conjure the same magic in the finals.
7) PV Sindhu showed tremendous sportsmanship when she rushed to congratulate the gold medalist Carolina Marin who was in tears after her win against the Indian in the badminton finals.
8) Rower Dattu Bhokanal might not have attained a medal, but his journey won’t easily be forgotten. From a drought-hit village in Maharashtra to Rio, where he missed a semi-final spot by a mere 6 seconds, Bhokanal’s is one of the most inspiring stories to come out of Rio.
9) Surprised to not see an Indian here? Well, how would you feel when we tell you that the ‘Greatest of all Time’ of badminton, Lin Dan, was stretched to his limits by an Indian on the other side? K Srikanth might have lost to the Chinese, but he showed the promise he holds for the future in his quarterfinal tie against Lin.
10) It all started with a heartbreak. One of India’s best medal hopes, shooter Jitu Rai, just couldn’t bring his A-game to the Olympics arena as he became the first to get knocked out in the 10m pistol event finals on just the second day of the Games.
11) Indian archery found a new hero in 24-year-old Atanu Das, who kept India’s hopes alive for long before crashing out of the men’s Individual Round of 16 stage. Surely, a bright future lies ahead for the archer from Bengal.
12) As if all the pre-Olympic controversies weren't enough, a first round exit from men’s doubles made tennis legend Leander Paes’ seventh and possibly final Olympics entirely forgettable.
13) A horrific injury ended Vinesh Phogat’s Olympic dream as she fractured her knee during her quarterfinal bout against China’s Sun Yanan in Women’s Freestyle 48kg category.
14) 2012 Bronze medalist Saina Nehwal had a disastrous 2016 Olympics as she suffered a shock exit after picking up a knee injury during the match against Ukraine’s Maria Ultina. This photo pretty much sums up the former World No. 1's tribulations in the Brazilian capital.
15) The Indian women's hockey team’s first foray on the Olympics stage since 1980 ended with little joy, lots of losses and a bag full of lessons to make good on the progress they’ve shown till now. It eventually ended with a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Argentina. A Chak De! moment has to wait.
16) Carolina Marin’s screams and shouts might have overshadowed Sindhu in the final, but one of the best memories for every Indian of the Rio Games will be of Sindhu’s clenched fist and “Come on!” celebrations. More power to the women of the nation!
17) Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna climbed up to book a place in the semis and the whole nation waited with bated breath. But it would eventually prove to be a false dawn as the pair lost the semifinal encounter as well as the bronze medal match.
18) India’s best hope in Boxing, Shiva Thapa, was undone by a tough first round draw which saw him up against defending Olympic and former World Champion Robeisy Ramirez of Cuba in the 56kg bantamweight division. Thapa was outmuscled 0-3 by the Cuban to bow out of his maiden Olympics.
19) Buoyed by their Champions Trophy Silver, the Indian Men’s Hockey team raised hopes of a similar show with some of their initial performances but lost to Belgium in the knockout to bow out in the quarterfinals. Here is Belgium’s Tom Boon scoring the final of the three goals for the European side to shut the door on India’s hockey hopes.
20) The Narsingh Yadav roller coaster couldn’t reach the Brazilian capital eventually, but it had created enough dust storms along the way that will take a long time to settle – at least four years for the wrestler. He is seen here on 6th August, days before his Olympic dream was rekindled, and then crushed by the Court of Arbitration for Sports.
