The athletes who missed out on the Olympic dream

If winning an Olympic medal is the toughest thing that a sportsperson can achieve in their life then qualifying for the Olympics should be right up there for a country like India which until a decade ago didn't have a proper ecosystem to develop athletes at the grassroot level. It's already been a week since the Olympics has started but before we talk about the Olympians, let's take a look at the heroes who made a place in our heart even after missing out on qualification.

Tejas Shirse: If there was an award for the most improved athlete of the year then it must go to Tejas who broke the 100m hurdles national record in his pursuit of Olympic glory. His yearning to excel took him to Europe where he produced a series of podium finishes as he collected ranking points which put him within touching distance of his dream. If only he started his season a bit earlier, we could have seen Tejas' penchant for excellence burn brighter on the Olympics stage but if not this one he's surely a prime contender for the one in LA provided he doesn't let up in his efforts

Gulveer Singh: Gulveer broke two national records in 5000 and 10000 meters this season but agonizingly missed out on qualifying for Olympics and this in my personal opinion was due to not getting enough competitions to collect ranking points. If a competition calendar which delineates the Olympic qualification path can be drawn up for athletes like Gulveer (again my apologies if this is already being done) then the athletes would be able to work with their coaching staff and prioritize those competitions which would maximize their qualification chances. But, Olympics or no Olympics, he's already a hero in my mind as he's taken Indian long distance running to heights never seen before. Gulveer's passion for running is infectious and I am sure this is one name we will keep hearing throughout the next Olympics cycle

Nayana James: We see people who take loans to build a house and fund their education but Nayana is one athlete who has taken loans to keep her Olympic qualification dreams come true. In the process she recorded a personal best of 6.67m, defeated the reigning Asian long jump champion from Japan and kept herself in contention until the final qualification tournament in June. Identifying burgeoning athletes like Nayana who are closer to the qualification and allocating funding for them during the critical qualification window should be something that AFI takes up more vigorously in the coming four years. Nayana may never get to compete in Olympics again but she has given us a story of perseverance which deserves to be applauded and shared

Medals and trophies alone cannot be used to judge a sport person's impact. Each of the above athletes has left an indelible impression in my heart with their tenacity and commitment. For their pursuit of sporting excellence and above all their tenacity, I salute them.

Until Next Time,

Your casual sports fan.

Comments

Mahabharata by C.Rajagopalachari

There are books which you read and then there are books which make you read them and change your life. Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari's (Rajaji's) Mahabharata belongs to the latter category. Mahabharata introduced me to the joy of reading books as a kid and today I couldn't have picked a better topic for my 25th post. I cannot describe what a pleasure and honor it is to extol the virtues of this classic book during this holy festive season of Makar Sankranti . Mahabharata by C.Rajagopalachari The story of Mahabharata is as old as the mountains and has been retold several times. Mahabharata by Rajaji however stands out in my mind because here is a story which is spiritual yet not religious, is thought provoking yet not preachy, is compelling yet not tedious. The story left an indelible impression upon me for several reasons which are: Rajaji uses extremely simple language to convey some of the finer aspects of the saga. I was 10 years old when I read Mahabharata

What is the Good Word?

It's time to delve into the memory lane and remember a time when yours truly was a college fresher in his teens. It was a lazy weekday afternoon and I had no choice but to look forward to the Physics class which was up next on the schedule. Just when the class was about to begin my good friend Vikram burst in. " JJ come, we gotta participate in What's the Good Word Contest " " Vik What? What in the royal hell is What's the Good Word Contest? " " I don't know but we will know everything once we get there. " Although I wasn't in love with Physics I found no fun in flexing my brain muscles at some random contest either. But when you have a friend who is almost 4 inches taller than you are and broader in every sense of the word you don't have much of a say. Before I could say ' No ', Vikram had already dragged me out of the class. On my way out I muttered a feeble excuse to my Physics professor who glared at me as thou

Zamarrud Theatre Hyderabad

More than two decades ago a 5 year old boy (yours truly) found himself in Abids which was certainly then the microcosm of Hyderabad. Abids in the 80s <Courtesy: OkaTeluguAbbayi > The occasion was a family outing to Zamarrud Cinema. And we are stepping out for not just any movie my friends, my parents decided that nothing less than the Raj Kapoor blockbuster Chori Chori was good enough for us. To be honest I wasn't exactly enthused about watching a black and white film of a bygone era even though the movie had all the credentials of a classic. But that was before I saw Zamarrud, the theatre where the movie was being played. Nested in the heart of Abids, Zamarrud was the perfect amalgamation of Hyderabad's old world charm and new fangled ways. Zamarrud was not just any theatre, it was one of the first air conditioned halls in Hyderabad, a premiere cinema hall which used to host the best of what the film industry had to offer and the place to go for Hyderabad'

KBR National Park

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the fifth largest city in India - Hyderabad lies KBR (Kasu Brahmananda Reddy) National Park . It's difficult to imagine a natural habitat in the center of a concrete jungle but that's exactly what KBR park is - an oasis in middle of an urban desert . One of Hyderabad's prized tourist attractions which in my opinion doesn't get the attention it deserves. The Entrance <Courtesy: Andhra Aroma > I don't remember when I first noticed the park but it soon became a sight which I couldn't miss during the course of my everyday commute to work. I always wondered what lay beyond the entrance but never found the time to check it out for myself until last year. But let me back up a bit, there's a back story to my first visit to the park. In my ' Count Your Blessings ' post, I talked about how a walk around my office building started a positive change in my life. That incident made ' walking '

The Punisher (2004)

There are very few movies which make for a fun repeat watch. The 2004 version of ' The Punisher ' belongs to this rarefied category. I watched the movie almost 10 years ago and then caught up with it again last month. The plot twists were familiar the second time around but the fun was still the same. That's what probably got me started off on this movie review. Tom Jane as 'The Punisher' The Plot: When the younger son of mafia boss Howard Saint ( John Travolta ) gets killed in an FBI operation headed by Frank Castle ( Tom Jane ), Saint swears revenge and wipes out Castle's entire family. Castle himself barely survives before emerging from his injuries as the crusading 'Punisher'. 'The Punisher' resolves to extract payback from Saint and proceeds to punish everyone on the wrong side of law with his brand of justice. Will 'The Punisher' succeed (Of course he does)? Watch this lesser talked about installment from the Marvel Cinematic Un

Life Etc Etc

Search This Blog