It was just the toughest day for Indian sports fans. On one hand, shooter Swapnil Kusale started Thursday with a bronze medal in the men’s 50m rifle three positions event at Paris Olympics 2024 that no one expected, and on the other, Satwik/Chirag missed out on a semis berth in the men’s doubles badminton competition. Not just that, a bright medal prospect, even Nikhat Zareen’s loss vs Chinese Wu Yu in women’s boxing competition brought the same level of disappointment.
So should one be happy about the day’s proceedings really, or not? Well, for Olympic glory-starved nation like us, the math is simple, each and every medal, irrespective of the colour should be celebrated. But then, on the flipside, it is the sadness of missing out on two sure shot medals, that is taking the upper hand. There’s no right or wrong here, but just some serious confusion that looms large.
Satwik/Chirag Were Gold Medal Contenders
Just imagine, Satwik/Chirag went in as the third seeds in the Olympics 2024, and the minimum the experts expected from them was a bronze medal. There were many who thought, the duo had a realistic chance of clinching gold too. So, yes, the hurt is real. Just look at the way the team has been performing for the last two years — in 2022 they were part of the Thomas Cup winning team.
Then 2023, they won the Swiss Open, Indonesia Open, Korea Open, and the Asian Games. Come 2024, the pair got victories at the French Open, and the Thailand Open; so there’s no one who wouldn’t consider them as serious contenders for a medal at Paris Olympics. To be honest, all these accolades are partly responsible for this unhappy state as well, since you know how big a miss this is.
Nikhat Zareen’s No Show Vs Wu Yu
Similarly, in Nikhat Zareen’s case, she is no dud in the women’s 50 kg category. She got out of the shadow of Mary Kom, then won two World Championships, and then reached here. Only to be ousted in he round of 16 at Olympics 2024. She is a boxer of exceptional caliber, and that is where the problem lies. Actually, what also contributes to this, the Hyderabadi lost 0-5 and offered no contest to her opponent, despite being usually so good.
But that is the nature of sport. You win some and you lose some at this level. Not that this feeling for the fans is going to go anytime soon, but they would want rest of medal contenders to deliver, and maybe make up for the loss of these two medals, hopefully.
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