A roller-coaster ride for India

So, there was the maiden medal in track-and-field that also happened to be the first gold in 13 years, the first medal in hockey in 41 years, the first silver in weightlifting, the first boxing medal in nine years and the first woman with two Olympic medals. 

Tokyo 2020 was India’s best performance at the Games with seven medals and was the edition in which most number of debutants ended up on the podium. 

India’s campaign was as much a story of human resilience as of sporting excellence and it came to the fore on the opening day itself starting with Mirabai Chanu. The Manipuri lifted 202kg (87+115) to fetch silver and put India on the medals tally. 

In her moment of glory, the weightlifter was a personification of perseverance. She had left the same stage in tears and dejection five years ago, failing to log a single legal lift. It was just the kind of start the country needed, but what followed was a lull. 

Some top contenders bowed out without making an impact, the biggest disappointment being the 15-strong shooting contingent and the archery squad. It seemed that the Indian campaign had hit the disaster note early and would not be able to recover. But along came PV Sindhu, who put things back on track with her bronze medal. 

While she was at it, the hockey teams showed stomach for fight after early setbacks. And in the boxing ring, an heir apparent to MC Mary Kom began to take shape in the form of Lovlina Borgohain (69kg). The 23-year-old ended with bronze on August 4 as women got down to the task of rebuilding momentum. 

The very next day, Ravi Dahiya became only the second Indian wrestler to clinch silver at the Games but the first to do so on debut. Hours before that came the long-awaited hockey medal in the men’s event, a bronze worth its weight and wait in gold. 

The stage seemed set for a grand finale and Neeraj Chopra didn’t disappoint in the javelin throw final. Bajrang Punia’s resolve paid off with bronze on the wrestling mat as the debutant grudgingly accepted the medal after falling out of the expected gold contention. Then, there were those who were hit by the curse of the fourth-place finish. 

Their agony was a story in itself as golfer Aditi Ashok and the women’s hockey team ended within touching distance of the podium. So, India’s performance at the Tokyo Olympic Games was bigger than the unprecedented seven medals it bagged.