One for the victors

The Indian contingent returned from Incheon with fewer medals when compared to 2010 and an 8th position on the medals tally. While the downturn was not catastrophic, the number of yellow metal performances left a lot to be desired. The shooters disappointed massively with just Jitu Rai living up to his reputation. Given that the guns have boomed for India at multi-sport meets as well as world championships, this would be considered a massive let down. The wrestlers and boxers only managed a few bronze finishes with Yogeshwar Dutt being the exception. The Haryana lad surely stepped out from the shadow of Sushil Kumar and the determination and grit that he wore on his sleeves was found missing in most of his compatriots. The other Punia made sure that the track and field events would not go bare. Seema Punia has been outperforming the more celebrated Krishna Poonia for some time and should surely be one of the few medal hopefuls in Rio. The 4x400m relay has been an Indian stronghold for some Asiads and the quartet of Priyanka Pawar, Tintu Lukka, Mandeep Kaur and Machettira Poovamma Raju made sure of the continuing hegemony with a games record. While she was made to fight it out to qualify for the Asian games, Mary Kom was the only pugilist to stand up and deliver. She has stood up against all odds and this gold certainly puts that extra shine on an already exemplary CV. The Sarita Devi episode is one that led to much heart burn and given that dubious decisions are part of boxing judgement, her meltdown on the podium left a sour taste in the mouth. 

There were a few pleasant surprises in the team events other than the wins in the traditional gold mines of Kabaddi. Though trailing for a significant part of the final, the men's team did manage to stage a smart come back and make it to the top. Two golds did lend an iota of respectability to the final position that India finished with. A gold in the mixed doubles tennis, squash and compound archery were welcome given that the expectations were low from these events. Sourav Ghoshal did make some amends for his upset loss in the single's finals by helping win the team event. The one gold that brought the most joy was that on the hockey field. The team led by Sardar Singh brought back the top finish after a gap of 16 years. A direct entry to the 2016 Olympics is a shot in the arm for the team that has been relegated to also rans in most events lately. That should provide some much needed boost to the sport in the country and also a chance for the team to prepare for the marquee event against stronger teams without having to worry about qualification. That they beat both Korea and Pakistan en route to the gold was heartening to watch. Some cheer to end what was largely an underwhelming performance by the athletes. There is a lot of work to be done and the euphoria of this performance should not drown the hard yards needed to even make the top 8 at the Olympics. 

Rio needs an encore

Rafael Nadal's return to the hard courts did not pan out as expected. After having lost the doubles in the opener, his comeback ended short in the quarters at the China open having lost to the qualifier Martin Klizan. With the ATP world tour finals fast approaching, things are not looking sunny for the Spanish matador. The question of whether he can bag another four grand slams to be crowned the undisputed king of all time should be answered next year. With Roger more a miss than a hit at the majors these days, the ball is certainly in Rafa's court to eke out a few more before the dodgy knees and wrists make it a bridge too far.