Day before the big show, strolls, calls and pep talks
TOKYO/NEW DELHI: Amit Panghal looked dapper in a blue bandhgala outside the Games Village on Friday, waiting for the official transport to take him to the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony. The 52kg boxer was fortunate to be a part of the celebrations that opened Tokyo 2020 since his first round match is only on July 31 (his top billing as world No.1 having ensured a first round bye).
One of India’s most promising medal prospects, Panghal’s steady finals build-up contrasted with that of India’s lone weightlifter at the Games, Mirabai Chanu, also a strong contender.
Chanu, the 2017 48kg world champion and now world No 2 in 49kg, could win India’s first medal at the Games on Saturday morning. The day before her big event was all about feeling inspired and confident, particularly after what happened four years ago.
Chanu was a medal favourite at the 2016 Rio Olympics too, but heartbreakingly fouled out. Since then, she has won many laurels, and for motivation, spent part of Friday watching videos of two such victories — the 2019 Commonwealth championships, where she won gold; and this year’s Asian championships, where she set a clean and jerk world record of 119kg (she finished third with combined lifts of 205kg, a personal best).
Getting her weight right was also on top of her agenda
because had to shed 2kg in two days before the event. Still heavier by 1kg on Friday morning, Chanu had a small breakfast, skipped lunch, and ate a light dinner after checking her weight again in the evening.
Then it was time for last-minute strategy discussions with her coach, Vijay Sharma. The progression of weights to attempt, after all, is the most crucial element of the competition. She ended the day with a video call to her family. It has been close to two years since she has met them, with extensive training tours (she trained in the US for two months in the build-up to Tokyo).
If she brings home a medal, she said, it would be a reward worth all the sacrifices.
Apart from Chanu, the Indian shooters, too, can make it a glorious start for India at the Olympics. In women’s 10m air rifle, Apurvi Chandela and Elavenil Valarivan are in contention on Saturday morning.
On the pre-event training day, competitors get to shoot from their lane they will get in competition. Apurvi will be on lane 10 and Elavenil on 24. On Friday, they were up at 4:30am, ate breakfast by 5:30, and reached the training venue at around 7. From 8:30 to 9:20, they went through their final training session.
They were back at the Games Village by noon, and were seen rounding up the day with an evening stroll at the picturesque Village Plaza, which has a large creek in the background.
Pistol shooters Saurabh Chaudhary and Abhishek Verma too got a feel of the range, and in typical fashion, spent the day in quiet practice. Of all the people in action on Saturday, only archer Deepika Kumari was already in action on Friday, when she finished 9th in the individual ranking round on what was a hot, humid and mildly windy day at the range.