Date: August 23rd, 2008
Category: Heroes of our times, My Life
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No mean achievement!
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Three medals, some good hope and a bit of rhetoric is all that we gained from this Olympics. Not that I am sad, since this performance (a gold and pair of bronze) is by far the best performance by Indians.
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As an Indian, I am quite proud of it.
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To me, the Olympic spirit is still in participating. Even in this ‘me-me’ age, when getting a fair share in return seems to be the mantra, Olympian traditions still makes me believe in participating to remain focused with
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Citius, Altius, Fortius (Swifter, Higher and Stronger)
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The surge to improve should be there, yet the medal count can always be treated as a secondary purpose (a by-product may be). However, the complex question is – if faster, higher and stronger gets better of many, can a medal be far behind?
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It is fairly understood … yet none will deny that the focus should be a part of the tradition that dates beyond the immediate past. Here is a sports carnival where we are merged more with tradition than anything else.
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Winning, medals … and individual brilliance will definitely come … but later.
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Source: Getty images
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Consider the case of South African Natalie du Toit, who lost her lower leg in an accident eight years back. She did not finish in the top three, but she did finish courageously, clocking no less than a respectable time.
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And without a leg to get the speed and the strength to swim! Bravo Natalie!!
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British athlete Paula Radcliffe, at 34 is the world record holder in marathon. And US swimmer, Dara Torres, at 41 is the idol that supermoms of this age can look up to. Torres, incidentally, bagged two silver medals after beating a rival who was 25 years her junior.
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That’s the spirit of this hallowed game from Greece!!
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Add to that the cheerleaders from China … and the Paraguayan model-turned-athlete, Leryn Franco, who have grabbed headlines not by their sheer power of strength and stamina, but for the spirit in which they enjoyed these games.
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To this day, I believe our boys and girls must feel a lot happier. I saw the tennis duo Paes-Bhupathi play against champion doubles team of Federer-Wawrinka on TV, and it didn’t appear that they lagged the professionalism anywhere. In sports, a win or a loss is not all, the challenge to give a great performance is.
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I must also admire the grit and determination of our badminton star, Saina Nehwal, who almost looked certain to get through to the semis. Or, take the case of the tennis player Achanta Sharath Kamal. Before his last match, he was looking confident in participating.
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Concluding the spirit, both Akhil Kumar and Jitendar Kumar will definitely treasure moments they encountered in boxing rings of Beijing. And reasons they became famous for!!
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We may talk about champion swimmer Phelps or sprinter Bolt, but at the end of the day, unsung heroes also bring a lot of Olympian pride back home.
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Long live the spirit of Olympics, and let India prosper with every passing one!
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we participated thats why we came to know that we r going ahead only.so yes, participating should never be questioned.specially as "it is indeed the carnival"……of sports…………..let us all say,"let India proser with every passing y
August 23rd, 2008 at 7:57 pm
ahem,…ahem….hummm."too cool to be true"???the way things going,i believe you have to ask for the "new year diary" very soon…..short of dates in calender ……………remember,u have a wating list for "ranchi ticket",t
August 23rd, 2008 at 8:07 pm
there’s always something thrilling about such events…our country having won three medals makes the games even more special!
August 23rd, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Its always about participation and not about winning.But when somebody brings credit to the country,its always time to rejoice,and to see more and better participation in individual events.The state had failed miserably in support of the brilliance and ex
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:13 pm
"As an Indian, I am quite proud of it."Yes we can proud of it on behalf of our nation.
August 24th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
One of the best blog pages on Olympics
August 24th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
yes indeed participating and winning the medals …am really proud to see the three cherished medals coming to India after a long time…lovely expressions made from urside
August 24th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
While participation is fairly important the goal should to win medals. India shd not be complacent with the also ran credit. The foundation has been laid and in the coming Olympics India would certainly make deep inroads and be amongst the medal winners.
August 24th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
lets study from China…How they utilized well their human potential and may the number of our Olympic medals increase exponentially..
August 24th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Yes it is so far the best achievement.Hope better in future.
August 24th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Nicely written..enjoyed reading it..loved your thoughts!i believe participating is the main part!to b a part thats a gr8 acheivement!and if you win a medal gr8!a honour!wat i liked here is your mention abt the unsung heros..they too did they part!and they
August 25th, 2008 at 8:15 am
You are so positive! Nice to go through it.
August 25th, 2008 at 9:03 am
I feel we as a nation lack the single minded focus on grooming talent while others like china have been doing it for years consistently.There is plenty of talent in India but sports does not get the status and importance like in other countries.If there i
August 25th, 2008 at 10:52 am
All these praise, awards will go on for say another one month and later it wl be only cricket which will be given importance.. In a way even the people are to be blamed.. They understand cricket easily and is played all over the country so its been hyped.
August 25th, 2008 at 11:17 am
A good article you have written capturing the spirit of Olympics. I agree our athletes need more encouragement and I am sure we will catch up with China. I had written 2 articles on Beijing games and you can read it on my blog.
August 25th, 2008 at 11:38 am
This was the greatest performance of Indians in Olympic History so we should feel proud of Indian Players but Indians tally will never come to international standards till Indians stop wasting their time and money in watching glamourous 11 fools playing w
August 25th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Well said Idle, and I am sure the performance this year will inspire many more Indians for the London games.
August 25th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
The spirit is far above the wins and the medals,very true. Love the positivity this reflects. Natalie du Toit…a perfect example of determination and never say die spirit. Lots one can learn from them,the desire to go against the tides. Wonderful moments
August 25th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
This is what we call a heart touching blog.
August 25th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
I had already told u dat ur word power is very strong…nice post..
August 25th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
I salute your spirits but at the same time I do believe in winning. I can’t take only participating and no win. The government and media are thinks only Cricket and nothing else. How many of us know the criteria and procedure of joining the shooting club?
August 25th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
Yes India had performed very well in this Olympics and 3 medals are their to show… I expected one medal in tennis doubles and 2 more medals from Akhil Kumar and Jitendar in boxing. But anyhow it is first time, India won more then 2 medals.. I was very i
August 25th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Very positive thoughts and loads of optimism. Still, we are a country of a billion and there were that many medals up for grabs. Isn’t some introspection necessary?
August 25th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
My new post is ready and waiting for your valuable comments…
August 26th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Hey Idle. When will we learn to win? It is important not to be santusht. I like that line from sk’s ad on tv. dont be santusht.
I am reading blogs finally!
August 26th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
hey idle,the name change is not of my doing,ibibo at mischief there!btw.junglee bilee se bacchke rehna :)you said it!!hehehe
August 26th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
hmm..i wud just repeat.."long liv da spirit of olympics.." n surely we’ll c more of Indians proving themselves in such international events.. Cheerz…!!
August 26th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Aye dil hai enjoyable jeena yahaan, jiske post hain jara hatke woh hai idle meri jaan….& wrt bloggers meet@kolkata, my compliments for the lovely initiative, successful arrangement and the thoughtful gesture in the end ……
August 27th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Others are saying it…I am just complimenting….
August 27th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
To me, the Olympic spirit is still in participating. I entirely agree with you. A truly brilliant post on Olympics. Thanks for sharing Idlemindji.
August 28th, 2008 at 2:00 am
Hi how are u doing and look forward for more interesting articles and reviews from you…My new post is waiting for your lovely and valuable comments…
August 28th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
state of mind changes , day to day, maybe or may be not
!! Poems are often reflections of what u feel or experience or both !! Howz life? tc. smile.
August 28th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
again good blog from u..sorry i have no intrest in games and also no time,but i feel good to know that our india improving,,i smile to read SAVITA COMMENT(last 2 line)..haha,butits true
August 29th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
The spirit of Olympic…well said…winning or loosing is a part of any game….participation is important…Indians have really done well in this Olympic as for as previous performances are concerned…it should be taken as a new beginning for the better
August 29th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
loved the pearls of wisdom u left on my site and thanx for the wishes for my girl. Life is a bundle of contradictions and these kids give more meaning to life and to the term…isnt it?…….and yes,sept is just around the corner or it is the movie u wan
August 29th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
thnx for ur appreciating comment idle. well..life teach us somthings very early in life..whether we want it or not. Btw..so waiting for september..eh? movie or month i wonder…..
August 30th, 2008 at 12:41 am
this post is a perfect tribute to our olympic heroes…..for the first time, we have something, or rather a lot to talk about after the olympics are over…..i wish this trend continues in the coming olympics too….
August 30th, 2008 at 9:29 am
ki holo? no new post?
August 30th, 2008 at 11:26 pm