Incheon, South Korea, has been buzzing the last 11 days as the Asian Games have taken over the city.
India, sadly, has not been dazzling in the arena. Our gold medal count stands at four, though we do have 35 medals in all. Highlights include a first race-walking medal, a wrestling gold medal after 28 years, two bronze medals for the retiring veteran shooter Abhinav Bindra, and five medals for the tennis team, led by Sania Mirza. India also won gold in the men’s compound archery team event, defeating world champions South Korea.
The standout performances so far.
Jitu Rai, shooting (gold in men’s 50m pistol and bronze in men’s 10m air pistol team)
(Xinhua/IANS)
Jitu Rai has gone from growing corn, paddy and potatoes on his family’s farm in Nepal (he gave up citizenship of the country of his birth when he joined the Indian Army) to becoming one of the best shooters in Asia. This is his third international gold medal.
He won India’s first gold medal of the Games, on the first day of the event. In 2014, his first year in the big leagues, he’s returned with a medal in every event so far. In Glasgow, during the Commonwealth Games, he won gold in the 50m pistol event, with a Games record both in qualifying and in the final round.
Seema Punia, athletics (gold in women's discus throw)
(Xinhua/IANS)
Even though Indian compatriot and defending champion Krishna Poonia finished fourth, Seema Punia has more than made up by winning the gold medal with a highest score of 61.03m, with the rest of the field having failed to conquer the 60m mark. Punia had first taken up the hurdles but her brother, who was a wrestler, encouraged her to take up discus. The 31-year-old Punia didn't participate in the last two Asian Games but coming off a Commonwealth silver from Glasgow, she was brimming with confidence.
Yogeshwar Dutt, wrestling (gold in 65kg freestyle)
(Jung Yeon-Je/AFP)
Yogeshwar Dutt, a wrestler from Haryana, came close at the Beijing Olympics, but in the dying seconds of his bronze medal match, victory slipped from his grasp. Four years later, he fulfilled his father’s dying wish, winning an Olympic medal in London. At the Asian Games, he ended India’s 28-year wait for a wrestling gold medal by defeating Zalimkhan Yusupov of Tajikistan in the final on Sunday.
Sania Mirza and Saketh Myneni, tennis (gold in mixed doubles)
(Xinhua/IANS)
The mixed doubles pairing of Sania Mirza and Saketh Myneni did India proud by winning the gold medal in the mixed doubles event on Monday. (Saketh Myneni settled for the silver medal in the men's doubles earlier in the day and Sanam Singh and he went down fighting in straight sets.) Myneni hails from Andhra Pradesh and Mirza from Telangana. Myneni graduated from the University of Alabama with a major in finance and economics. He also made his debut in the Davis Cup this year. Mirza has had a good year on the court, reaching a career-high ranking of five in doubles in July.
Saurav Ghosal, squash (gold in men's team event and silver in men's individual event)
(Xinhua/IANS)
Saurav Ghosal put up a spirited performance but came just short in the individual event when he lost in the fifth set to Abdullah Almezayen. He did lead two sets to zero at one point. He is the first squash player from India to have won an individual silver medal at the Asian Games. This adds to his three bronze medals in the past Games. In the team event, the pairing of Saurav Ghosal, Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu and Mahesh Mangaonkar beat Malaysia 2-0 in the final to clinch a first gold medal in squash for India.
Khusbir Kaur, athletics (silver in women’s 20km walk)
(Wikimedia Commons)
Khusbir Kaur has an unsual story. Her mother was determined at least one of her daughters would be a sportsperson. Kaur went on to become Punjab state champion in 2007, and since then has never looked backed. Though at one point she considered being a sprinter, walking was always a passion: before she could afford shoes, she used to train and participate barefoot. Kaur clocked 1:33:07 in Incheon to finish second, setting a new national record.
Sandeep Sejwal, swimming (bronze in 50m breaststroke)
(Wikimedia Commons)
Sandeep Sejwal, a native of Delhi and graduate of St Stephen’s College, gave India’s floundering swimming campaign a major boost by winning the bronze in the 50m breaststroke. Sejwal is the senior national champion and the national record-holder in the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke. He received the Arjuna Award in 2012.
MR Poovamma, athletics (bronze in women’s 400m)
(Wikimedia Commons)
MR Poovamma is India’s leading quarter-miler. In 2003, when she was 13, her mother persuaded her to attend a local athletic meet in Mangalore. Since then her mother has been her greatest source of inspiration. On Sunday, Poovamma clocked 52.36 seconds to finish third and clinch the bronze medal at the Asiad.
Trisha Deb, archery (bronze in women’s individual compound)
(Manan Vatsyayana/AFP)
Trisha Deb was born to a lower-middle class family in Kolkata. Her father worked in a company while her mother gave tuitions. Deb's journey into the world of sport began in 2000 at the Baranagar archery club in Kolkata. She was the sub-junior national champion in 2004 and 2005 in the recurve event, but lost form, which her coach said was due to a growth spurt. She switched events and has since soared. She was part of the team that clinched India’s first ever World Cup medal in 2013 and she added a bronze in both the individual and team event.
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India, sadly, has not been dazzling in the arena. Our gold medal count stands at four, though we do have 35 medals in all. Highlights include a first race-walking medal, a wrestling gold medal after 28 years, two bronze medals for the retiring veteran shooter Abhinav Bindra, and five medals for the tennis team, led by Sania Mirza. India also won gold in the men’s compound archery team event, defeating world champions South Korea.
The standout performances so far.
Jitu Rai, shooting (gold in men’s 50m pistol and bronze in men’s 10m air pistol team)
(Xinhua/IANS)
Jitu Rai has gone from growing corn, paddy and potatoes on his family’s farm in Nepal (he gave up citizenship of the country of his birth when he joined the Indian Army) to becoming one of the best shooters in Asia. This is his third international gold medal.
He won India’s first gold medal of the Games, on the first day of the event. In 2014, his first year in the big leagues, he’s returned with a medal in every event so far. In Glasgow, during the Commonwealth Games, he won gold in the 50m pistol event, with a Games record both in qualifying and in the final round.
Seema Punia, athletics (gold in women's discus throw)
(Xinhua/IANS)
Even though Indian compatriot and defending champion Krishna Poonia finished fourth, Seema Punia has more than made up by winning the gold medal with a highest score of 61.03m, with the rest of the field having failed to conquer the 60m mark. Punia had first taken up the hurdles but her brother, who was a wrestler, encouraged her to take up discus. The 31-year-old Punia didn't participate in the last two Asian Games but coming off a Commonwealth silver from Glasgow, she was brimming with confidence.
Yogeshwar Dutt, wrestling (gold in 65kg freestyle)
(Jung Yeon-Je/AFP)
Yogeshwar Dutt, a wrestler from Haryana, came close at the Beijing Olympics, but in the dying seconds of his bronze medal match, victory slipped from his grasp. Four years later, he fulfilled his father’s dying wish, winning an Olympic medal in London. At the Asian Games, he ended India’s 28-year wait for a wrestling gold medal by defeating Zalimkhan Yusupov of Tajikistan in the final on Sunday.
Sania Mirza and Saketh Myneni, tennis (gold in mixed doubles)
(Xinhua/IANS)
The mixed doubles pairing of Sania Mirza and Saketh Myneni did India proud by winning the gold medal in the mixed doubles event on Monday. (Saketh Myneni settled for the silver medal in the men's doubles earlier in the day and Sanam Singh and he went down fighting in straight sets.) Myneni hails from Andhra Pradesh and Mirza from Telangana. Myneni graduated from the University of Alabama with a major in finance and economics. He also made his debut in the Davis Cup this year. Mirza has had a good year on the court, reaching a career-high ranking of five in doubles in July.
Saurav Ghosal, squash (gold in men's team event and silver in men's individual event)
(Xinhua/IANS)
Saurav Ghosal put up a spirited performance but came just short in the individual event when he lost in the fifth set to Abdullah Almezayen. He did lead two sets to zero at one point. He is the first squash player from India to have won an individual silver medal at the Asian Games. This adds to his three bronze medals in the past Games. In the team event, the pairing of Saurav Ghosal, Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu and Mahesh Mangaonkar beat Malaysia 2-0 in the final to clinch a first gold medal in squash for India.
Khusbir Kaur, athletics (silver in women’s 20km walk)
(Wikimedia Commons)
Khusbir Kaur has an unsual story. Her mother was determined at least one of her daughters would be a sportsperson. Kaur went on to become Punjab state champion in 2007, and since then has never looked backed. Though at one point she considered being a sprinter, walking was always a passion: before she could afford shoes, she used to train and participate barefoot. Kaur clocked 1:33:07 in Incheon to finish second, setting a new national record.
Sandeep Sejwal, swimming (bronze in 50m breaststroke)
(Wikimedia Commons)
Sandeep Sejwal, a native of Delhi and graduate of St Stephen’s College, gave India’s floundering swimming campaign a major boost by winning the bronze in the 50m breaststroke. Sejwal is the senior national champion and the national record-holder in the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke. He received the Arjuna Award in 2012.
MR Poovamma, athletics (bronze in women’s 400m)
(Wikimedia Commons)
MR Poovamma is India’s leading quarter-miler. In 2003, when she was 13, her mother persuaded her to attend a local athletic meet in Mangalore. Since then her mother has been her greatest source of inspiration. On Sunday, Poovamma clocked 52.36 seconds to finish third and clinch the bronze medal at the Asiad.
Trisha Deb, archery (bronze in women’s individual compound)
(Manan Vatsyayana/AFP)
Trisha Deb was born to a lower-middle class family in Kolkata. Her father worked in a company while her mother gave tuitions. Deb's journey into the world of sport began in 2000 at the Baranagar archery club in Kolkata. She was the sub-junior national champion in 2004 and 2005 in the recurve event, but lost form, which her coach said was due to a growth spurt. She switched events and has since soared. She was part of the team that clinched India’s first ever World Cup medal in 2013 and she added a bronze in both the individual and team event.