Indian sport takes a giant step forward at Beijing

NEW SPORTING HEROES: Sushil Kumar, Vijender Kumar and Abhinav Bindra have come out on top despite great odds.

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New Delhi: Indian sport took a big step forward on August 20 riding on Sushil Kumar's bronze medal win in the 66kg freestyle wrestling and boxer Vijender Kumar's entry into the 75kg semi-final which assured him of a medal.

Their feats have got the entire nation on its feet, but what does it mean for the future?

Both Sushil and Vijender struck with double force on the same day, spurred on by a fierce conviction, and stepped forward to put India back on the Olympic map.

"I think this is going to be the watershed just like when Bjorn Borg erupted in tennis in Sweden. There were a whole lot of Swedish players who came up. I thing it is important for us not to lose the momentum," Michael Ferreira, four times world billiards champion, said.

As the nation swells up with collective pride at the feats of Sushil and Vijender, one must not forget the journey these bravehearts have taken.

They have been solitary figures with unflinching desires who have mowed down all roadblocks in their quest to fulfill India's Olympic dream.

To be fair, they are sheer acts of individual brilliance that haven't been fathered by any super-strong sporting culture.

"Akhil could not win as he lacked practice. India lacks good training facilities and everyone knows this. India is way behind many other nations when it comes to sports," Sushil Kumar's father Diwan Singh said.

Indian sport today stands on verge of a paradigm shift.

The belief is back, as strong as ever and with even the past masters acknowledging this remarkable ascent, from here on, there will be a new strength in their strides as Indian athletes go out to face the best.

"Boxing nations like Cuba stood up and saw. Today morning the Cuban coach came up to me when we were going for weigh in and I just waved at him and he walked closed and said you are going to win," boxing coach GS Sandhu said.

Soon enough there will be many, inspired by August 20, 2008, who will strive to take the same path.

But the powers that be must remember - it's easier to find one champion, than producing a champion team.

The individuals are here and have already scripted the first chapters. Surely, it will surge ahead, both in reach, and richness, as witnessed in Beijing.

(With inputs from Digvijay Singh Deo and Sanjeeb Mukherjea)

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