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India with a population of approximately 140 crore people (17.7 % of the world's total population) won just 7 medals in the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics which started on 23rd July 2021 and concluded on 8th August 2021. The countries with much less population and much fewer resources have won more medals (for example Kosovo, Venezuela, Romania, Ecuador, Jamaica, Cuba just to name a few). So why is there such a stark difference, the reasons can be many, infrastructure, funding, nepotism, unaccountability to name a few, but that is the topic for another article.
For now, let's celebrate the success we had, 7 medals are the highest tally that we have had since the Olympics started in 1896.
India won 1 Gold , 2 Silver and 4 Bronze medals.
First-ever track and field athlete (javelin throw category) to win a gold for India at the Olympics. Only 23-year-old, he went to the gym to reduce weight and started Javelin throw only by chance.
So next time someone says “ God has other and better plans for you, believe that and most importantly believe in yourself.”
Silver Medalist in Wrestling(57 kg category). He belongs to Nahri Village, Sonepat, Haryana which may not seem very relevant to you unless you look at the fact that this village is also known as the wrestling hub of India. The reason for the same is that this village has produced other renowned wrestlers such as the Phogat Sisters (refer to movie Dangal if you are unaware) and Yogeshwar Dutt who has also brought many accolades for India. His father was a farmer and his mother owns a small shop, so financially he never was stable. He also battled a knee injury just before the national senior selection.
His story teaches us,"Hardships often prepare ordinary people for extra ordinary journey."
Silver medalist in Wrestling ( Women 49kg category), she hails from Nongpok Kakching which is 30kms away from Imphal City, Manipur. There is a story going around, now like all mothers exaggerate, maybe she is when she says that Mirabai used to carry a huge bundle of firewood home when her elder brother found it hard to even pick up. The other story which can be verified is that she used to take lifts from truck drivers, and after winning the medal, she hosted a party for each one of them.
Her humbleness and gratitude towards the truck drivers teaches us,"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others."
Bronze medalist in Women's Badminton, she has 20 other medals in her glowing career. She was born to two national-level volleyball players but she eventually found her calling in professional badminton following her idol Pullela Gopichand. Starting at the tender age of 8, she has a stellar reputation of being always on time, even when she had to travel 56 km to and from her home to reach the academy. People who know her well say that she has a never-give-up attitude and the willingness to be better than she is.
The learning that we can draw from her is , “respect time” and “the willingness to do creates the ability to do.”
Bronze medalist in Women's Welterweight Boxing she has 4 other medals to her name. She was born in the Golaghat district of Assam. Her father is a small-scale businessman and she has twins named Licha and Lima both national level kickboxers, but with all the accolades they had, they could not pursue their careers further. Lovlina on the other hand started with kickboxing but found her calling in boxing and pursued it to excellence.
Her story teaches us “If something is important to you , you will find a way,else you will find excuses.”
Hockey is the National Game of India (for people who are unaware), so it has a very glorious history attached to it. A total of an impressive 48 medals to their tally. The likes of major Dhayan Chand and Roop Singh along with their magical team and the future generations kept us above the world for 52 years since its inception in 1929. We slumped a little when India was weak financially and was overhauling the economy but we came back stronger and the results show.
The learning we can draw from the team is ,"Talent wins games but teamwork anfd intelligence wins you championships."
Bronze medalist in freestyle wrestling (65 kg category), he has an impressive 18 other medals to add to that. He was born in Khundan village, Jhajjar District, Haryana. His father being a wrestler could not afford traditional sports, so he had to play free sports, either Kabbadi or Wrestling. He found his calling in wrestling and later married another Indian Superstar wrestler, Sangeeta Phogat.
What we can learn from his story is"Destiny is the push of our instincts to the pull of our purpose."
The inference that can be drawn from each of the stories if we look closely is pretty simple :
The cost of success is a paramount shift, because, you have to ready for late nights and early mornings , you will have a lot of aquaintances but a very few friends , you should be ready to be misunderstood and belittled ( because people will want you to do good but never better than themselves).
Always remember what Mahatma Gandhi said "First they ignore you , then they laugh at you , then they fight you , then you win .
