India's Games End With A Silver Lining

If India's yesterday was Yogeshwar Dutt, then her today is Sushil Kumar Solanki's. The 66 kgs freestyle wrestler, World Champion in 2010 and the Beijing Olympics bronze medallist, begins the last day of London 2012 early. His first round bout is the first thing in the morning against the Beijing Olympics gold medallist - the defending Olympic champion from Turkey! No worries. Sushil's publicly declared obsession with Olympic gold powers him to a convincing victory over the Turk. One down. Three to go and the gold is his.

Next to the quarter finals where the bout is taken to the deciding third round. Some early jitters but Sir Sushil (when will he be knighted!) makes it to the semis in good order. The semi finals bout is the most nerve wracking there is. Win and you are guaranteed a medal, a silver. Lose and you could go home twiddling your thumbs.So the semi final Sushil must win. And win he does after looking down the barrel half way through the final round. Great back to the wall wrestling which should provide the perfect booster dose for the finals.

The Sushil Final - Rati and I have tickets for ExCel to watch the 66 kgs finals. We pinch each other to convince ourselves we are indeed going to be present to watch Sushil make history. Except for our hockey players in the days of yore no Indian has ever won more than one medal at the Olympics. We are going to witness history being made.

The two of us set out for ExCel with three India flags of varying sizes but of the highest quality money can buy (bought at the Khadi Bhandar shop in Bangalore). Our flag waving begins as we approach the arena. In tandem a group of Indians are already getting into the Sushil finals mood at the ticket entrance. Rati and I join in on the "India, India", "Sushil, Sushil" chants. We enter the arena and discover to our glee that there are several Indians in the crowd, many with flags but all with a furious zeal for an India gold.

Shri Solanki enters the arena to a raucous welcome. Us Solanki supporters are in fine fettle and voice. I sweet talk the usher, a nice London girl, into allowing a group of us to stand in the entrance landing for the Sushil bout. "If there are any complaints I can't help you," she warns. Facing complaints is no price to pay to watch from such a vantage point the fight of our lives, to wave our flags and scream our lungs out.

Sushil Kumar, in blue, is under the cosh right from the outset. 

One flew over the Japanese nest - Sushil in orbit. Blue is in ascendency.

The much needed pep talk from the Coach after losing the first round. The towel is being frantically waived to cool Sushil.

Our man in red is unable to make this superior leg hold count. It's not Sushil's day!

As Sushil and his Japanese opponent lock arms in combat for gold I am confident our man would make it past this final hurdle too. After all he's been in devastating form in the previous rounds, is the world champ and has the backing from us Indians in the crowd. Gold was ours.

It is not to be! Inexplicably Sushil Kumar never does get into the game. Apart form the opening minute of the final he is outplayed by the Japanese. We cheer wildly but the cheer in Sushil's grappling seems bust. Rock bottom is reached when he is lifted clean off the ground and turned around for a final clinching three points. Gold to Japan. Silver to India.

As I reconcile myself to another India silver at these Games Rati informs me of news from India about Sushil being dehydrated before the finals. Has the build up to the Games for Sushil taken its toll? Have the three fights earlier this morning drained him mentally and caused his bodily systems to malfunction? Ours is not to ponder. Ours is to bask in the dazzle of Solanki's Silver.

Game's up. The Japanese is declared winner.

The silver lining for Sushil and India is that Indian sporting history is made. No Indian in an individual sport has won a second Olympic medal. Today changes that. Today is a day I will not forget. Today will put be on par with great Indian sporting achievements I have personally witnessed. All three of these achievements by serendipity happen to have been in this City, London.  Prakash Padukone winning the All England badminton in 1980 at the Wembley Arena, India winning the cricket World Cup in 1983 at Lords and Shri Solanki winning Olympic silver in 2012 at ExCel. Salaam Sushil Solanki. 



Sushil Kumar Solanki on the victory podium immediately after he receives his silver.



The writing is on the wall. Sushil Kumar - SILVER.

Sushil does us proud and creates history. India's first individual double Olympic medallist. Salaam Sushil Solanki. Salaam

The 30th modern Olympics in London is over. Rati and I have Olympics withdrawal symptoms since walking out of the wrestling arena. The 16 London 2012 days are done and dusted. These days have whizzed past. They have been some of the best days of my life. For sure. Time will now hang on my hands. This blog though will be a  reminder of the days I cherished at the Games from 28 July to 12 August 2012. 

Tomorrow I will post my final London Olympics blog. Until then, it's good night from me.



Bathed in the tricolour, Rati and I are all smiles after Sushil gets his medal. The Olympics is  over and we have withdrawal symptoms. What will I do now? Time will hang on my hands!