For many Indian athletesThe margin between winning a medal and an agonizing fourth place was minuscule. Is that really it? mental barrier be broken upon entering Los Angeles 2028 Games? Will the country continue to dream (far below its potential) of a double-digit result? medal final So? Here are five lessons learned from the Olympics.
Double the contingent, at least
India sent 117 athletes to Paris, while the United States sent 592. AthletesJapan 403 and China 383. The idea is simple: if you send more men and women to the Games, you will have more chances of winning medals. Instead of focusing on an Olympic bid for 2036, our aim should be to get more and more athletes to qualify for Los Angeles 28 (LA28). If India sends three times as many athletes as in Paris, it will make a big difference. Therefore, the investment should be in the grassroots and in training more athletes in all disciplines.
Try, try until…
One big lesson from Paris is that participating in the Olympics for the first time can be a daunting task. So, first-time participants need protection. Sift Samra or Esha Singh, for example, are hugely talented, but they couldn’t handle the pressure. This happens to the best – someone like Abhinav Bindra needed three Olympics to win a gold medal. Gagan Narang also won his medal at his third Olympics. We can assume that Sift and Esha will be much better at LA28, as will Arjun Babuta and Ramita Jindal. With the example of Saurabh Chaudhary before us, we know that we can lose them if we don’t protect them. Chaudhary was once considered invincible. But then… Tokyo 2020 It left him with a very bad scar and he lost his mind. That is what we must protect ourselves against.
A huge weight on the shoulders
Support systems need to improve. The cases of Vinesh Phogat and Antim Panghal raise some very important issues. Antim was a clear medal contender. She also had a good draw and was expected to make the podium. However, as the wrestler had to starve herself for almost forty-eight hours to make weight, she had no energy left when she stepped onto the mat. She lost in a minute and a half and was heartbroken. Just before that, Vinesh missed out on a potential gold medal by being 100 grams heavier. Now, as much as we say we have a great support system, the truth is that every country plays by the same rules. And almost all of them are doing well. So why not us? Instead of trying to defend ourselves, it is time to introspect and improve. Accept that there was incompetence and move on.
The P word
Another key aspect is pressure management. When you finish fourth, you know you have the ability and the talent, but you are not yet in a position to win a medal. It is that last decisive one per cent. At an Olympic stage, as back-to-back medal winner Neeraj Chopra pointed out, it is always as much a question of mind as it is of talent. India still needs that one per cent to make more podiums a reality. While we had sent mental conditioning coaches with the athletes, it is not enough to bring them in a few months before a big event. If we work with the athletes for months and years, the results will show.
No more sleep
Finally, we have to be with the Olympic Games. sports Four years. It is not enough to just show up and cheer for teams for 20 days and then go back to being a fan of the IPL or a cricket show. It is essential to be with the sport and the athlete and understand it better. While it gives us perspective, it also helps us know where we can improve and where we need to do better. We develop a critical eye and can implement what we have learned. For example, there is a dire need for more Indian coaches in the system. Also, training the coaches should be a rallying cry in India. Paris has given us a lot of answers. Now it is up to us to take what we have learned and put it into practice. If we do, LA 28 will be better.
Double the contingent, at least
India sent 117 athletes to Paris, while the United States sent 592. AthletesJapan 403 and China 383. The idea is simple: if you send more men and women to the Games, you will have more chances of winning medals. Instead of focusing on an Olympic bid for 2036, our aim should be to get more and more athletes to qualify for Los Angeles 28 (LA28). If India sends three times as many athletes as in Paris, it will make a big difference. Therefore, the investment should be in the grassroots and in training more athletes in all disciplines.
Try, try until…
One big lesson from Paris is that participating in the Olympics for the first time can be a daunting task. So, first-time participants need protection. Sift Samra or Esha Singh, for example, are hugely talented, but they couldn’t handle the pressure. This happens to the best – someone like Abhinav Bindra needed three Olympics to win a gold medal. Gagan Narang also won his medal at his third Olympics. We can assume that Sift and Esha will be much better at LA28, as will Arjun Babuta and Ramita Jindal. With the example of Saurabh Chaudhary before us, we know that we can lose them if we don’t protect them. Chaudhary was once considered invincible. But then… Tokyo 2020 It left him with a very bad scar and he lost his mind. That is what we must protect ourselves against.
A huge weight on the shoulders
Support systems need to improve. The cases of Vinesh Phogat and Antim Panghal raise some very important issues. Antim was a clear medal contender. She also had a good draw and was expected to make the podium. However, as the wrestler had to starve herself for almost forty-eight hours to make weight, she had no energy left when she stepped onto the mat. She lost in a minute and a half and was heartbroken. Just before that, Vinesh missed out on a potential gold medal by being 100 grams heavier. Now, as much as we say we have a great support system, the truth is that every country plays by the same rules. And almost all of them are doing well. So why not us? Instead of trying to defend ourselves, it is time to introspect and improve. Accept that there was incompetence and move on.
The P word
Another key aspect is pressure management. When you finish fourth, you know you have the ability and the talent, but you are not yet in a position to win a medal. It is that last decisive one per cent. At an Olympic stage, as back-to-back medal winner Neeraj Chopra pointed out, it is always as much a question of mind as it is of talent. India still needs that one per cent to make more podiums a reality. While we had sent mental conditioning coaches with the athletes, it is not enough to bring them in a few months before a big event. If we work with the athletes for months and years, the results will show.
No more sleep
Finally, we have to be with the Olympic Games. sports Four years. It is not enough to just show up and cheer for teams for 20 days and then go back to being a fan of the IPL or a cricket show. It is essential to be with the sport and the athlete and understand it better. While it gives us perspective, it also helps us know where we can improve and where we need to do better. We develop a critical eye and can implement what we have learned. For example, there is a dire need for more Indian coaches in the system. Also, training the coaches should be a rallying cry in India. Paris has given us a lot of answers. Now it is up to us to take what we have learned and put it into practice. If we do, LA 28 will be better.
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