The ace rifle-shooter had failed to qualify for the final eight by a whisker, on a count-back in Beijing.
He stood 3rd after finishing 6/10 shots in the final round at London.
Then came the moment when a billion hopes began to fade..he shot a 9.5 following the ordinary 9.9 in his eighth shot..perhaps Indians were not destined to win medals at the games..
He had other ideas,he shot an impressive 10.3 and 10.7 in his final two shots to seal the bronze for his nation..finishing just 1.1 point behind the gold medalist.
The crowd at the Royal Artillery Barracks burst into applause befitting of a gold medalist..after all the feat accomplished by Gagan narang was not any less..it raised the hopes of the best Olympics and finally enriched the medal tally for India which stood at 0,the digit India gave to the world,before this.
Never underestimate the power of Indian army...Pakistan have made the mistake of doing it on several occasions and have faced the consequences.
It was time London took notice.
A relatively unknown subedar of Himachal Pradesh shot his way to the silver medal in 25 m rapid pistol category.
Vijay kumar followed the footsteps of ,fellow army man rajyavardhan singh rathore,in providing a silver lining in India's campaign,who had done it 8 year before in athens.
Probably the biggest success story for India was the hyderabadi 22 year old who won a medal in a sport which was never seen as a medal prospect for any nation except China.
The determination, the hard work, the desire to bring home a medal could be seen in her every match.
And even if she won the bronze because the chinese opponent suffered from an injury no sane mind would deny the fact that the girl had earned it.
Badminton could develop leaps and bounds after this feat achieved by the great Saina Nehwal..a source of inspiration to thousands of aspiring shuttlers including me and some of my friends.
The fourth medal came from the five time world champion..the mother of two who showed that she had still some fight left in her completely outclassing her opponent 15-6 to enter the semis.
One might say that a gold was a given if there was a 46 kg category but life does not necessarily give what u want and she fought it out to earn a bronze in a category that was not her forte.
Mary kom aptly known as magnificent mary had taken india's tally to an all time high 4!!
Almost a week after the fourth medal came a surprise 5th medal..from a wrestler who fought 3 rounds in last 1 hour..most experts would tell u it is really a commendable effort.
For all those who watched his bronze medal match,they would never forget the last round...it was a treat to watch..a sight even sixes from indian star batsmen could not match..Yogeshwar dutt turned his opponent around 3 times,to earn six points,who lay there totally helpless and finished the round in just 66 seconds to make it a high five for the Indian contingent.
The best things are always kept for the last..it was so in India's case too..the flag bearer was scheduled to play on the very last day.
When a billion expectations are pinned on you it takes only a real champion to live up to it..Sushil Kumar was no less..had it not been for dehydration and vomiting he might well have won the yellow metal that was missing in India's medal tally..but a silver is no less..though his father would tell u he is disappointed..billions of fans in India know they have found a new star..a player who has made the nation proud not on one but on two occasions at the world stage!!
Six
medals may not be enough for this huge nation but they are enough to
enlighten the dreams of a top ten finish or a future 20+ medal haul..
Its time we learn from this inspiring stories..heroes who dared to dream even when the facilities were not world class..
Its time we look beyond cricket..
Its time we cheer,support and provide sponsors for future stars..
Its time we make a mark at the international level..
Its time we stop blaming and start performing..
Its time we rise...because we can and we will!!
