Tokyo 2020 Paralympics: Record 19 medals thus far!!!! Amazing

[Gollum]

India beats Kazakhstan 6-2 in men's team archery. Reach QF where we will face top seed South Korea. Think that starts at 10:15 IST, 4 hours from now. 

 

 

 

 

[Gollum]

Jeez we can't catch a break, can we? Mixed, men's team both facing South Koreans in QF. Deepika Kumari if she makes it to QF will play a South Korean youngster (just 20 yo) who topped qualification round smashing the Olympic record. 

Edited July 26, 2021 by Gollum

[Gollum]

Man these Koreans only deal in 9s and 10s, more 10s than 9s in fact, scary!!!!

 

All other teams including USA, France, China sometimes have 7s, 8s, once or twice even stinkers like 6, 5.

 

Indian men need a miracle now.

[Gollum]

20 hours ago, MultiB48 said:

So mohini bharadwaj and Rajeev ram anyone else?

 

20 hours ago, G_B_ said:

Raj Bhausar

Rajeev Ram had Venus Williams (not just singles legend, has 16 doubles grand slams as well) as partner in the Olympics. Many Indian players far more accomplished than him, just that Sania never had an ATG like Hingis to carry her to an Olympic medal.

 

Mohini Bhardwaj is 1/2 Indian, her mom is Russian and her side of the family had gymnastics background, so that helped Mohini, access to Russian coaches (best of the best system from USSR days) right from when she was a young girl. Pretty sure the Indian connection didn't play a significant role in her career. If only Dipa Karmakar had 20% of that support.....they showed her practice gym in Tripura post-Rio and let me tell you, poorly funded public high schools in USA have better facilities for their budding gymnasts. 

 

Not taking potshots at our diaspora but let's be honest: Indians haven't done that well in sports in USA, Canada, UK, NZ, Aus. Take England as example, we hardly have any Indian origin cricketer in national squads, the ones that make it are frankly bang average. My cousins in USA say that Indian origin kids don't participate in high school sports there. We lack sporting/outdoorsy mentality whether it be in Bengaluru or New York. But as Manipur, Haryana have shown the way, there is no shortage of talent (or genes as some may like to believe).....wrestling and weighlifting are extremely demanding (physically, mentally) sports and we do better than some Western nations having better system. Up to other states to pull their weight.

Edited July 26, 2021 by Gollum

[Gollum]

17 hours ago, nikrulz said:

Manika Batra improved as the game went on. She was matching shot for shot with the 20th Ranked opponent more than 50 places above her in ranking.

 

Hope she does a Sindhu 2016 here by being a Dark Horse. Long road ahead R3, R16, Quarters and Semis.

 

 

Sindhu wasn't a dark horse in Rio, very accomplished by then and a genuine medal contender. This time she still has that aura and champion mentality, but form is lacking which is concerning. 

[Gollum]

19 hours ago, nikrulz said:

Wasn't expecting much from him to be honest.

 

Women's games are always unpredictable because there is a certain lack of consistency. Not trying to belittle them but the ceiling of performance level is more balanced in Women's sports. Men usually have that 2-4 people who completely dominate their opponents and are more consistent.

 

Unpredictability is fun.

Damn right, women's sports almost always more unpredictable, rankings not that useful beyond a point. Even in chess and board games. Similar to male juniors, makes it more fun to watch. But they are great fighters especially in sports like hockey/football, even combat sports, rarely play safe even if tempo and strength are on the lower side. 

Edited July 26, 2021 by Gollum

[Gollum]

15 hours ago, ShoonyaSifar said:

We have beaten nearly every single top team in last 2 years under coach Graham Reid. Beat Netherlands and Belgium in 2020 in FIH Pro league (new version of Champions Trophy). Beat Germany in a test series before pandemic (pro-league matches were postponed).

 

We are no. 4 in world now and most likely will not win a medal but it's amusing to see seasonal hockey fans going ballistic against the team.

Seasonal fans are amusing, watch bits of hockey once in 4 years and come up with their gyan. Also too many Baji Raos running amok on this forum. 

[Gollum]

15 hours ago, neel roy said:

Cricket attracts eyeballs. Eyeballs attract marketeers. Marketeers place ads. Ads lead to sales. Sales leads to revenue. Revenue leads to sponsorship. So we cant sway away from that. There wont be any eyeballs in india to see Mens Sculls or skeet shoots..thats the issue. Jagmohan Dalmiya was a visionary. Resurrected a near bankrupt board to where it is now. We are still waiting for similar visionary in indian sports..

Sometimes all it takes is one legend coming from obscurity and lifting the entire nation. Chess doesn't attract eyeballs, ads etc. but what Viswanathan Anand did starting from 1987, culminating in ending Soviet/Russian stranglehold on the game, democratizing the discipline (even computer played a part there but much later) etc. changed Indian and world chess forever. Bangladesh had more masters than India back then, now we have max home grown GMs (most of German and American masters are from erstwhile USSR or poaches from poorer federations) apart from Russia and Ukraine, will soon overtake Ukraine and challenge Russia's numbers in 20 years time, guarantee. That is also inspiring Indian origin kids from elsewhere to take the game by storm. And chess isn't some minor discipline, FIDE has second most national associations, only FIFA and Olympics association draw larger participation worldwide. Sure you can say chess is more mental than physical (latter component at highest level underestimated by most), but is shooting much different? 

 

Seeds have been planted in badminton and wrestling courtesy individual brilliance 10-15 years back. Dipa Karmakar has most certainly started a gymnastics revolution in the country, wait for next generation who will finally blossom to fulfil their potential, pathbreakers like Dipa will always have technical limitations, lack of guidance and self-belief etc. Despite lack of eyeballs, despite low revenue these sports will show encouraging results, this despite facing much greater competition on a global scale compared to cricket. 

Edited July 26, 2021 by Gollum

[Trichromatic]

17 minutes ago, Gollum said:

Sometimes all it takes is one legend coming from obscurity and lifting the entire nation. Chess doesn't attract eyeballs, ads etc. but what Viswanathan Anand did starting from 1987, culminating in ending Soviet/Russian stranglehold on the game, democratizing the discipline (even computer played a part there but much later) etc. changed Indian and world chess forever. Bangladesh had more masters than India back then, now we have max home grown GMs (most of German and American masters are from erstwhile USSR or poaches from poorer federations) apart from Russia and Ukraine, will soon overtake Ukraine and challenge Russia's numbers in 20 years time, guarantee. That is also inspiring Indian origin kids from elsewhere to take the game by storm. And chess isn't some minor discipline, FIDE has second most national associations, only FIFA and Olympics association draw larger participation worldwide. Sure you can say chess is more mental than physical (latter component at highest level underestimated by most), but is shooting much different? 

 

Seeds have been planted in badminton and wrestling courtesy individual brilliance 10-15 years back. Dipa Karmakar has most certainly started a gymnastics revolution in the country, wait for next generation who will finally blossom to fulfil their potential, pathbreakers like Dipa will always have technical limitations, lack of guidance and self-belief etc. Despite lack of eyeballs, despite low revenue these sports will show encouraging results, this despite facing much greater competition on a global scale compared to cricket. 

 

From what I understood, eyeballs is secondary. It will depend on how many people adopt the game and actually start playing at different levels.

 

Cricket is played by most at different age levels in cities and villages.

Chess is readily accessible and even if not taken seriously by most, many play it at homes and schools.

There are lot of badminton academies in Hyderabad and getting a slot is difficult. It's not limited just to playing in backyard for timepass anymore. Normal junta goes there and tries to improve skills.
Table tennis is another game played by many.

Tennis will remain luxury for long time.

Hockey - haven't seen anyone playing the game.

Once people play the game, then top players will automatically attract eyeballs as viewers will try to understand what type of skills is involved.

[Number]

6 minutes ago, Trichromatic said:

 

Table tennis is another game played by many.

 

 

Too much TT talent in IT companies 

[Gollum]

17 hours ago, G_B_ said:

Cut funding in hockey

 

Divert to weightlifting wrestling shooting boxing...

 

India needs 20 medal prospects in these disciplines to get around 6 to 7 medal considering our choker habbits

Bhai, shooting is already well funded. NRAI even flew the shooters in a special chartered plane to Zagreb for preparation last month, invited/hired some big names for pep talks; shooters are always housed in 5 star hotels or resorts whether it be competition or months long camps. They have access to best equipment, coaches, shooting ranges, trips overseas, accommodation. Some of the shooters have more than one coach, lot of individual attention given, whatever they asked for was provided. They owe it to the country to at least win a couple of medals. 

 

We must also invest in producing refs, match officials, jury members.......having an Indian sitting in jury (usually multiple members) in boxing, weightlifting, gymnastics can help calm the nerves of our athletes...also may help sway some decisions in close contests. GBR, USA, Ger, Aus often see close decisions going their way, there is a reason for that. 

 

Hockey isn't that well funded, we don't get enough international exposure compared to our rivals. We pulled out of 2017 FIH Pro-League, few more away camps and tests as well. We play least number of games among top 8 teams. Now Hockey India is looking at 5 a side national tournaments to boost interest and sponsorship. A pathetic joke format which will only harm Indian hockey.

 

Just hope we get a medal in Tokyo, somehow. Might just boost interest, the sport has everything to be a hit among the masses; high pace, excitement, flair, athleticism; whole game gets over quicker than one IPL innings. Just need a trigger somewhere. Medal prospects less I agree, but there are other big tournaments as well. Moreover India isn't particularly good in team sports, cricket ke alawa kya hai? Football? Volleyball? Basketball? Kabaddi is still largely local. Need a team to get behind and hockey is the best bet among limited options of team sports. 

Edited July 26, 2021 by Gollum

[Gollum]

20 minutes ago, Trichromatic said:

 

From what I understood, eyeballs is secondary. It will depend on how many people adopt the game and actually start playing at different levels.

 

Cricket is played by most at different age levels in cities and villages.

Chess is readily accessible and even if not taken seriously by most, many play it at homes and schools.

There are lot of badminton academies in Hyderabad and getting a slot is difficult. It's not limited just to playing in backyard for timepass anymore. Normal junta goes there and tries to improve skills.
Table tennis is another game played by many.

Tennis will remain luxury for long time.

Hockey - haven't seen anyone playing the game.

Once people play the game, then top players will automatically attract eyeballs as viewers will try to understand what type of skills is involved.

Largely agree. But quality coaching and talent spotting at an early age is most vital. Plus competition, competition, more competition. Even club/city based league systems can go a long way, learn from W. Europe where they have 10-12 divisions of hockey in regionals. Prefer few hundred professionals than 10s of 1000s of strong amateurs. 

 

Hockey is popular in Punjab and tribal areas...growing fast in NE. Also in Bengaluru, near where I live. Here they play on grass but regular tournaments in Langford town (near Nanjappa Circle). Sadly not many astroturfs in India. Alien sport in Bengal. 

Edited July 26, 2021 by Gollum

[SujitPrakash]

https://wwos.nine.com.au/olympics/tokyo-games-event-centre

 

China

Japan

USA

Australia

Korea

 

Top 5 so far.

Edited July 26, 2021 by SujitPrakash

[Gollum]

4 hours ago, SujitPrakash said:

I always am in awe of Australia, NZ etc small countries population wise, yes I know they are 1st world countries but I think the difference with them is' their completive nature.

Wrong to compare India with other countries. We can only compare ourselves with India of 4 years back, 8 years back, 15 years back. And keep improving. I remember as a kid watching few dozen Indians (most of them from hockey squad) taking part in Olympics and barely managing to win an unexpected medal. Now (post Beijing '08) there are legit medal contenders in 5 or 6 disciplines, large contingent, one can't write an essay without learning alphabets. Need to set realistic targets and keep improving, bit by bit. 

Edited July 26, 2021 by Gollum

[Gollum]

16 hours ago, Real McCoy said:

There was a time when it used to be the opposite. 1948 we beat Eng 4-0 in the finals to win gold.

If we play on grass, bring back offside rule, we can repeat those performances. No doubt we have seen a long drought, but playing conditions are stacked against us. Kids in India play on grass and then switch to astroturf at a later age, their counterparts started learning on astroturf, literally born on that surface. We have no clout in the governing body, so the goras keep screwing us over, tomorrow if we begin to dominate they will change rules again, guarantee. 

Edited July 26, 2021 by Gollum

[SujitPrakash]

3 minutes ago, Gollum said:

If we play on grass, bring back offside rule, we can repeat those performances. No doubt we have seen a long drought, but playing conditions are stacked against us. Kids in India play on grass and then switch to astroturf at a later age, their counterparts started learning on astroturf, literally born on that surface. We have no clout in the governing body, so the goras keep screwing us over, tomorrow if we begin to dominate they will change rules again, guarantee. 

 

What about swimming? I am sure India can find a few kids that are good at swimming, seen a lot of kids in India that love swimming.

[Gollum]

15 hours ago, Sgattick10 said:

How daft is our celebs, lol congratulating Priya Malik for winning gold in olympics  she won in world athletics

World Cadets, our wrestlers usually do very well there. 

[Gollum]

4 minutes ago, SujitPrakash said:

 

What about swimming? I am sure India can find a few kids that are good at swimming, seen a lot of kids in India that love swimming.

Natural talent may be there but zero infrastructure. How many schools, colleges do we have that offer swimming? Compare to USA, Australia....different plane. Probably a NY or Melbourne will have more pools than we have in whole of South Asia. 

 

Waise at least in USA swimming is a rich sport, only upper middle class and the rich take part in it. You can also see that from lack of diversity. Singapore has a few American schools and they have suddenly started producing world class swimmers. 

 

Not a sport we can excel in any time soon, not a sport for poor countries. 

Edited July 26, 2021 by Gollum

[Real McCoy]

23 minutes ago, Gollum said:

If we play on grass, bring back offside rule, we can repeat those performances. No doubt we have seen a long drought, but playing conditions are stacked against us. Kids in India play on grass and then switch to astroturf at a later age, their counterparts started learning on astroturf, literally born on that surface. We have no clout in the governing body, so the goras keep screwing us over, tomorrow if we begin to dominate they will change rules again, guarantee. 

Its like the bouncer rule when WI started blackwashing Eng. It was all fine and dandy when Jardine and co were using it against the Aussies. We have to teach our kids to start playing on astroturf but that maybe a bit expensive as hockey is not well funded to have a grassroots program. Or atleast have a sports psychologist in the team that can enable the players to transition from grass to astroturf even at a later age. I want us to dominate our national sport again and give it back to them in their own game.

Hockey was started by them and we beat them. Astroturf and other changes were made by them and we will beat them. That should be the attitude from our players.

[SujitPrakash]

29 minutes ago, Gollum said:

Natural talent may be there but zero infrastructure. How many schools, colleges do we have that offer swimming? Compare to USA, Australia....different plane. Probably a NY or Melbourne will have more pools than we have in whole of South Asia. 

 

Waise at least in USA swimming is a rich sport, only upper middle class and the rich take part in it. You can also see that from lack of diversity. Singapore has a few American schools and they have suddenly started producing world class swimmers. 

 

Not a sport we can excel in any time soon, not a sport for poor countries. 

 

What about track and filed you don't need to be rich to run.  What happened to all those facilities India spent mo0ney on for the Commonwealth games?

 

We have the infrastructure, it's not like we are going to start from scratch.

Edited July 26, 2021 by SujitPrakash