Acing it
After an incredibly long wait of 44 years, Leander Paes gave India its individual medal by winning a bronze at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The earlier one was by wrestler K.D. Jadhav in 1952. Leander faced Andre Agassi in the semi-final and, due to the strength of the latter’s backhand, Leander ruptured a few tendons in his right wrist. So it was put in a cast and he had to recover before the medal play-off. On match day, he was in unbearable pain and it took a great deal of physical and mental strength and a lot of aggressive tennis to pull off a historic win and a place on the podium.
Guwahati: Shuttler Saina Nehwal plays against Vaishnavi Bhale during women's singles semi-final match at the 83rd Senior National Badminton Championship in Guwahati, Friday, February 15, 2019. (PTI Photo) (PTI2_15_2019_000183B)
Super shuttler
India’s first Olympic medal in badminton came in the 2012 London Games. Saina Nehwal had already made waves by reaching the quarterfinals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. But the bronze didn’t come easy. A week before the Games, Saina went down with viral fever. But being the fighter that she is, she recovered and fought her way through the tournament to a place on the podium.
Rio de Janeiro : Indian's shooter Abhinav Bindra competes in the Men's 10m Air Rifle Final at Rio Olympics 2016 at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Monday. PTI Photo by Atul Yadav(PTI8_8_2016_000310B)
Shooting star
Abhinav Bindra had missed a medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, so his preparation for the next round in Beijing was meticulous and careful. This paid off, as the 25-year-old surpassed the defending champion and won the gold. But it was not all smooth sailing. Just minutes before the final, he realised that his gun’s sight (aiming device) had been altered. Though he panicked initially, he stepped up and calmly scripted his place in sporting history.
(Original Caption) Greatest Hockey Player of 1928 Olympics, Again Playing for India. Los Angeles, California: Dhyan Chand, acknowledged, in 1928, to be the world's greatest hockey player, and who is again a member of the Indians Olympic Ho key team, the team from India who won the Olympic hockey title in Amsterdam, in 1928 and hope to repeat at Los Angeles this year.
Wizard of hockey
The Indian hockey team won eight gold medals — in 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1964 and 1980. Instrumental in the first three of these wins was Dhyan Chand, regarded as one of the greatest hockey players in history. Apart from his extraordinary goal-scoring, he also captained the side at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. In the final against Germany, he lost a tooth in a collision with the opposing goalkeeper. He also reportedly removed his stockings and shoes so that he could run faster.
