India finish on a high
Gold Coast bids farewell to Commonwealth Games athletes
If the opening was about history and traditions, the signing off was all about celebration as Gold Coast threw a big party to mark the end of the 21st Commonwealth Games with the legendary boxer M C Mary Kom carrying the flag for India at the closing ceremony.
A packed Carrara stadium bid goodbye to the thousands of athletes and officials, who descended on this coastal city for 12 days of competition during which India pulled off its third-best ever medal count of 66, 26 of them gold.
“The calibre of athletes has been unparalleled, showcasing world record holders, sporting greats and breakthrough performances from young athletes,” Commonwealth Games Federation President Louise Martin said in his address.
“While the Games is coming to a close, the future of sport in the Commonwealth is very bright indeed. In fact, in 2018, the Commonwealth and Commonwealth Sport are more relevant than ever before,” she further stated.
After an opening that revolved around Australia’s aboriginal heritage and one which stirred emotions, it was all about letting hair down at the closing.
The ceremony also paid tribute to the 15,000 volunteers, called the Games Shapers, for their dedication in making the event a success. The volunteer force was made a part of the ceremony.
The final farewell was given by representatives of language minority — the Yugambeh, an aboriginal clan, which is considered the custodian of Queensland.
The exuberance of youth, the endurance of experience and a bit of usual drama that is signature Indian sports — the country’s Commonwealth Games campaign was all this and much more with a medal count that turned out to be the third best ever.
From the teen shooting trio of Manu Bhaker, Mehuli Ghosh and Anish Bhanwala, the historic table tennis performance by Manika Batra to the arrival of a very confident Neeraj Chopra on the big stage, India had its next crop of stars ready to challenge the world.
The redoubtable Saina Nehwal provided the final day golden touch with her women’s singles gold, much like the 2010 Games where her top finish was a shade more significant for it took the overall tally to 100.
With 26 gold, 20 silver and as may bronze medals, India signed off third on the table — a promotion of two positions from Glasgow and it was a combination of youth and experience which delivered the results.
At 2010 Games in New Delhi, India won 101 medal, including 38 gold while at 2002 Manchester Games India had managed a total of 69 medal of which 30 were gold.
The likes of M C Mary Kom, Seema Punia and Sushil Kumar showed that experience can never be discounted either, turning back the clock to deliver performances which were nothing short of awe-inspiring.
While the shooters, weightlifters, wrestlers and the boxers were expected to bring home the maximum share of medal, there was a significant new addition to that in table tennis.
After just one bronze in the 2014 edition, there were significant concerns about how the performance might shape up this time. But Manika Batra was determined to ensure that things turn out differently. The 22year-old, who dropped out of college to focus on her game, justified what many would call a massive risk.
It was by far the best individual performance by an Indian athlete as she ensnared a historic individual gold, a team gold, a women’s doubles silver and a mixed doubles bronze.
On the other end of the spectrum were Mary Kom and Sushil. Without a shadow of doubt among the greatest athletes of their respective sports but faced with questions about their future quite often now, the duo decided to show what it means to turn the clock back.
So, both a 34-year-old Sushil and a 35-year-old Mary Kom gave performances to remember, quite literally schooling their younger opponents just how turn on the style without compromising on the substance.
The sheer diversity of medal winners was a heartwarming aspect of the Games for India. There were medals from squash, although not gold, there were nine medals from boxing, 12 from wrestling, 16 from shooting and nine from weightlifting.
In fact, it was the weightlifters who set the ball rolling with their best ever performance — the highlight of which was the absence of any doping suspicion. Records tumbled as the likes of Mirabai Chanu, Sanjita Chanu and Sathish Sivalingam remained heads and shoulders above their competitors.
Shooters were not to be left behind and almost everyday, a gold tumbled out of the Belmont Shooting Centre in Brisbane. The only blip was the seasoned Gagan Narang going empty-handed from the event but the mantle was passed on to the likes of Manu, Anish and Mehuli — the teen trio that lived upto the preevent hype.
With shooting not a part of the 2022 Birmingham CWG, India would be at a massive loss on the medal count and the performance this time is likely to be cherished for a long time to come.
At the badminton courts, it was mostly about Saina and P V Sindhu but K Srikanth continued to create a space of his own, taking down the legendary Lee Chong Wei during the goldwinning team competition.