India at the Asiad 2018 - Charge of the Young Brigade

India’s performance in the 2018 edition of the Asian Games with a total haul of 69 medals which included 15 Golds, 24 Silvers and 30 Bronzes has been hailed as the best ever. The country had earlier a 15-Gold haul at the inaugural 1951 Games hosted in New Delhi. But considering the scale of participation and the host country advantage, any comparison with the current performance would be inappropriate. The closest India came in terms of the number of Golds and medals was in the 2010 Games at Guangzhou where the country bagged 14 yellow metals for a total of 65 medals and occupied the sixth place as against the eighth at Jakarta- Palembang- the same position it held at Incheon in 2014. A closer look at the medals table in all three editions of the Games indicate that apart from the Big Three, there has been some shuffling around in positions with India moving ahead of Thailand and DPR Korea in 2018 while getting pushed down by Uzbekistan and Chinese Taipei.

While the debate on whether the country’s performance at these Games marks a watershed in its sporting history will continue, what is significant is the performance of its young brigade in multiple sports and the level of consistency shown by some of them. Let’s have a run-down, discipline-wise.

With a haul of 7 Golds, 10 Silvers and 2 Bronzes, Indian athletes have proved that they are not far behind the best in Asia. The resurgence has been inspired by a young crop of athletes led by a precocious 18- year old girl, Hima Das who burst on the international athletics scene only a few months ago by winning the World Under-20 title in the 400metre race with a record to boot. With amazing consistency and improvement, Hima not only improved on her World Championship record but also broke the national record twice (51seconds on way to the final and 50.59seconds in the final) to bag a creditable silver. She also anchored the Indian women’s team in the 4x400metres relay for a gold and was, besides, part of the mixed relay team that gave the country another silver. The same was the case with the 20-year old golden boy of Indian athletics, the ever improving Neeraj Chopra, who hurled the javelin to record his best ever throw of 88.06metres- a real world class performance. Dutee Chand (22) silenced her critics in a spectacular comeback by getting two silvers in the shorter sprints. Swapna Barman (21) defied all odds and excruciating physical pain to give the country a first ever heptathlon title while another twenty-one- year- old, Dharun Ayyasamy fetched a creditable silver in the men’s 400m hurdles. Muhammed Anas Yahiya (23), the best quarter-miler to emerge after the legendary Milkha Singh was the second triple medallist for India bagging a silver in the individual event, besides two more in the men’s and mixed relay races. Burly Tajinderpal Singh Toor (23) got a gold in the shotput with a Games record and looks set to be the first Indian to go beyond the 21metre-mark. Others, still in their twenties, who impressed were Jinson Johnson, 27(gold in 1500m and silver in 800m), Manjit Singh, 29 (gold in 800m), Arpinder Singh, 25 (gold in triple jump). Yet another teenaged athlete who did not win a medal but is a bright prospect for the future was long-jumper Shreeshankar who finished a creditable fifth in the event. He has since broken the national record with an impressive jump of 8.20 metres at the recently concluded Inter-State Athletics Championships.             

The Indian shooters lived up to expectations fetching a total 9 medals-2 Golds, 4 Silvers and 3 Bronzes. Two new teenaged stars emerged at the Games with 16-year old Saurabh Chaudhary striking gold in 10m Air Pistol while 15-year old Shardul Vihan bagged a silver in Men’s Double Trap. Another to impress was Lakshay Sheoran bagging a silver in men’s trap. The other two teen heroes of the Commonwealth Games, Manu Bhaker and Anish Bhanwala, failed to deliver at these Games. However, there is no doubt that these youngsters along with veterans like Jitu Rai, Heena Sidhu, Rahi Sarnobat (all still in their 20’s)are expected to bear the burden of the country’s hopes leading up to Tokyo.

Wrestling may have been a mixed bag with only 3 medals- 2 Golds and 1 Bronze. Yet both the gold medallists, Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat are only 24 and hold out promise for more, including in Tokyo.

In Amit Panghal (22), a new hope for Olympic boxing glory emerged when the Commonwealth Games silver medallist defied all odds to defeat the reigning Olympic champion, Hasanboy Dusmatov in the light flyweight category.

Other young stars to shine through the Games were P.V. Sindhu (23) and Saina Nehwal (28) who won an historic silver and bronze respectively in the individual events and remain along with a not-fully-fit Kidambi Srikanth (25) India’s best bets for medals at Tokyo.

In compound archery which delivered two creditable team silvers, the country has a young crop of archers, both men and women, who hold great promise for the future. These include Abhishek Verma (29), Rajat Chauhan (23) and Aman Saini (20) among men and Jyoti Surekha Vennam (22), Madhumita Kumari (21) and Muskan Kirar (17) among women.

There were events like gymnastics and swimming which didn’t deliver any medals at the Jakarta-Palembang Games. Yet, sportspersons like Dipa Karmakar (22) and swimming sensation Srihari Nataraj (17) have immense talent to be persevered with and given all necessary support.

The most positive aspect of the performances of some of these athletes is that they come from very humble backgrounds and have braved a lot of adversity to be where they have reached. Both Hima Das and Dutee Chand have seen grinding poverty but have not allowed that to deter them from achieving their goals. The sight of an emotionally charged and tearful Hima’s mother prostrating herself before the family deity in their humble abode after witnessing her daughter’s triumph at the world under-20 athletics championships is a poignant testimony to the family’s endless struggles to support her. Others like Tajinderpal Singh Toor, Amit Phnagal and Saurabh Chaudhary come from humble farming backgrounds while hurdler, Dharun Ayaasamy is the son of a school teacher mother having lost his father to T.B while in primary school.   

Going forward, as the country prepares for Tokyo, 2020, these young men and women who shone through at the Asiad 2018 would constitute the nucleus through which India will have to nurture its Olympic dreams. Needless to add, the Government of India, the National Sports Federations(NSFs) and the private sector through initiatives such as the Olympic Gold Quest and JSW Sports will have to galvanise all efforts in providing every kind of support that our athletes would require to bring laurels for the country.

(Mr. Raj Kishore Mishra is a civil servant turned development professional who spent thirty years n the IAS and served the Commonwealth Secretariat for over six years. He is passionate about Sports and writes frequently on the subject.)