With several warning signs and a few smiles, Paris departs India.
India finished the Paris Olympics with six medals. More than ever, there were six excruciating fourth-place finishes to cap off the bitter-sweet campaign that waned as the Games went on.
The term "Paris Syndrome" was coined by Japanese psychiatrist Hiroaki Ota. When visitors arrive in Paris with high expectations, expecting it to be a vision of perfection, only to depart feeling let down.The athletes from India didn't come to these parts three weeks ago as tourists. Nevertheless, they will still come back feeling let down.
The nation finished the Paris Olympics with six medals, one silver and five bronze. Given that the Court of Arbitration for Sport has not yet rendered a decision regarding Vinesh Phogat's request for a silver medal, there may be another, indicated by an asterisk. More than ever, though, there were also six excruciating fourth-place finishes to reflect the campaign's fluctuating emotions as the Games went on.
Each medal had a backstory. It caused conflicting feelings, but it accomplished one goal: it raised the bar for Indian athletes.
Shooter Manu Bhaker proved it was possible to win not one, but two medals in a single campaign in the bright and sunny city of Chateauroux. It could have been an unprecedented hat-trick, with any luck.Neeraj Chopra shot to prominence once more, this time in Paris, almost 300 kilometers distant, leading India into uncharted territory and adding a silver medal to his Tokyo gold. The finest Olympian still alive in the nation, however, was troubled that he was unable to throw the javelin any longer and was at war with his own body.
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