The build up to Tokyo 2020 was probably the most uncertain and volatile build up to an Olympic games in recent memory. From an unsurprising postponement by a year, to still many question marks about the event actually happening in the lead up to the games. Corona and it many waves, vaccination protocols, athlete safety, crowds in the stadiums etc made the Tokyo 2020 organizing committees tasks, one of the most unenviable jobs in the world. However despite all the trepidation and uncertainty leading up to the games, once Naomi Osaka lit the Olympic cauldron in a fairly unspectacular opening ceremony, what followed over the course of the next 14 days was pure sporting poetry. The athletes lit up the world with their spectacular performances and re-instated the Olympics at the pinnacle of human sporting endeavor.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the action and want to pen down what i personally saw as my top goosebump moments of the Olympics. I am sure I might miss out some seminal moments from sports I didn't follow as closely.
Silver for India on Day 1 of the games: The Magnificent Mirabai Chanu
The @olympic app was a real lifesaver, giving me live updates on schedules and allowing me to follow the action. And fortunately on 24th July at 10am, we as a family were glued to the tele and following the 49kg weightlifting action. I knew that Mirabai was a real contender given her pedigree in previous world events - she had won the world championships in 2017 and had finished 4th in 2019. She had won gold at the 2018 commonwealth games and silver way back in 2014. She had genuine medal potential, but she also had a poor showing in Rio 2016 where she did not complete a lift in the clean and jerk leading to a DNF status.
On that Tokyo morning, she had lifted a 87kg in her snatch section and was behind the Chinese lifter going into the clean & jerk. Now the chinese lifter - Hou Zhihui was in a class of her own. She had lifted 94kg in the snatch setting a new Olympic record and was miles ahead of the rest. In the clean & jerk, Mirabai lifted 110kg on her first attempt and her second lift was pegged at 115kg. This lift would see her claim the lead. Amid cheers from Gia & Agastya who were watching their first Olympics, Mirabai lifted the bar high and kept steady for those 3 white lights signalling a valid lift and putting her in medal contention.
The Chinese lifter lifted 116kg fairly easily setting a new OR again. Mirabai was now assured of the silver and valiantly attempted 117 to get back the OR but failed, even though she is the current WR holder at 119kg. No matter, she had done herself and India proud with an amazing show. Her combined total of 202kg (snatch + clean&jerk) was among her best scores but still quite a way behind the Hou who totaled 210kg for a new OR and took gold.
Silver was a great start for India and though we wouldn't hear the Indian National anthem at the medal ceremony (not yet atleast, that came later on), it put India at #3 in the medal tally leading to many including me taking a snapshot of that anomaly.
After this victory, Whatsapp went into overdrive with unverified stories of Mirabai's childhood struggles and her hollywoodesque journey to Olympic glory being forwarded. As a romantic sports fan, I want to believe all of them but knowing the reputation of Whatsapp forwards, I will wait and hope for Mirabai to come out with her autobiography which I will gladly read.
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