Where are the Real Olympians?

India a land of so much culture, so much brilliance around, should defray the fact that Real Olympians from India are more or less like the Apollo 13 mission. (Successful failure) From the fact that we don't take Olympics seriously as compared to a Cricket world cup, is because we don't have a Olympian. Why can't India with all its Adonis and Dhonis come up with an Olympian, who can match the ever elusive Olympics standard.

Every time, the results come up, we can see a lone Indian with a bronze medal or a silver medal. Then comes the celebration in all the news channels, with a spine chilling questionnaire to the athlete's mother. "How do you feel after your son's performance?" Till then the name of the athlete is a complete puzzle. Over night he becomes a legend, as he has done something that no one can ever imagine, a medal in Olympics. And after all this Marion Jones of US, quietly walks away with 5 gold medals. As per Indian mythology, she must be legend of legends. (Like the ammas of ammas).

Why can't Indians think about getting more than just one silver medal? Is it so impossible that we have to just be happy with just one medal? What is the nexus between a Indian and a Olympic gold medal. When I say gold medal, it is not one; many. Indians are very well trained, in giving reasons for their failure. If they use the reasoning brain, as a performing one, they will get all the accolades for their efforts. Just the mindset has to be like a Micheal Phelps or an Ian Thorpe.

Indians are more into cricket. The famous quadrilateral, best test middle order in the world, failed more than once in the current test series in Sri Lanka. The Little master, Prince of Bengal, The wall and Nawab of Hyderabad all failed in the first test. India had to score 400 runs to avoid the follow on. The famous quadrilateral never even made 360 let alone 400, which is the sum of all the angles in a quadrilateral. In the second test, it was the top order of Sehwag and Ghambir who made all the runs. Even then they failed.

We have to keep asking the questions to ourselves. Where are the Titans? Where are the Real Olympians? The mindset, training equipments, training coach and above all individual desire to grab hold of an Olympics gold, is completely missing in today's middle class Indian families. The swimming gear for Ian Thorpe was designed as per his expectations by his sponsors. The cost of the gear, is as good as buying a flat some where in Navi mumbai!!


Unless, there are proper equipments, thinking coaches and compromising sponsors, it is very difficult to breed champions. Champions can be created by a developing and nurturing the mindset of winning; infrastructure is always other side of the coin. Instead of just engineers, doctors and cricketers, there should be a different breed for Olympians!! Lets see how many medals we win in Summer Olympics Beijing 2008.