Author: S Kannan

SKannan in Paris Any attempt to blame the Indian hockey team for their narrow 2-3 loss to Germany in a tense semi-final at the Paris Olympics would be ridiculous. Minus Amit Rohidas, the Indian team was at a major disadvantage as he had been a major factor as the first rusher during penalty corners. In the end, when social media experts and even Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey blamed the lack of penalty corner conversion for this painful defeat, it showed a lack of sensitivity. First things first, the way Harmanpreet Singh, PR Sreejesh and the other players performed in…

S.Kannan in Paris When Neeraj Chopra returned from the Tokyo Olympics after winning gold in 2021 and was felicitated by the Athletics Federation of India in New Delhi, it was decided August 7 would be celebrated as ‘National Javelin Day.’ If, at that time, this thought seemed impulsive, three years hence, one can still relate to it. After all, on August 6, 2024, Neeraj competed in the Paris 2024 Olympics and threw 89.34 metres to make the cut for the final. Today, Neeraj will be training in Paris and go flat out for one more shot at Olympic glory on…

S Kannan in Paris Vinesh Phogat was on fire on the mat. The Indian tigress tore the form book to shreds and will now grapple for gold in the 50kg freestyle wrestling at the Paris 2024 Olympics. On Tuesday, one saw the most aggressive Vinesh take on her rivals. It began with a superb win against Yui Susaki, the most powerful girl from Japan. It set the tone for the day and late evening. By the time the sun set in Paris, Vinesh crushed Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, her taller Cuban opponent, 5-0 in the semi-finals. This is a historic string…

SKannan in Paris Neeraj Chopra, you beauty! On a sunny Tuesday morning at the Stade De France, the Tokyo Olympics gold medallist showed he was still one of the favourites for a medal in Paris, with one throw all he needed to make a statement. As he started his run, accelerated and flung the javelin, all eyes were on the electronic display board. An effort of 89.34 metres was defining. What stood out, yet again, was how Neeraj had gone full throttle with his first attempt to make the cut for the final. The debate over Neeraj, his adductor stiffness…

S.Kannan in Chateauroux It was surprising to hear from the ISSF President Luciano Rossi that the decision to hold the shooting competition of Paris 2024 in Chateauroux was a “big mistake.” He then went on to say in 2028 Los Angeles, the events would be held in the main city. As far as India are concerned, to walk away with three medals from these Summer Games is a big thrust to the sport, with Manu Bhaker leading the way. When asked what would be the impact of India’s shooters winning medals in the Olympics, Rossi stressed it is important. “India…

S.Kannan in Chateauroux The curse of the fourth-place finish returned to haunt Indian shooters as Maheshwari Chauhan and Anant Jeet Singh Naruka lost a climactic tie-break 43-44 against China’s Jiang Yiting and Lyu Jianlin in the mixed skeet bronze medal playoff on Monday at the Paris 2024 Olympics. All day long, the Indian pair had shot with feel and fluency against the rest in a world class field. To make it to the bronze playoff was in itself history being created. After a two-hour break, when Maheshwari and Anant came out for a crucial contest, the sun was blazing. Wearing…

S.Kannan in Paris Who says men should not cry? Sunday evening, on the brick-red clay courts of Roland Garros, Serbian star Novak Djokovic showed how pain could be converted into pleasure as he shut out Carlos Alcaraz in two tie-breaks of high intensity to win a Golden Slam. In less than a few minutes, Djokovic was with his family, holding his daughter and crying. These were tears of joy, pain and a release of emotions which had been tormenting him for years. Most recently, to lose a Wimbledon final for a second time in a row to Carlos Alcarad had…

S.Kannan in Chatearoux The National Rifle Association of India is already celebrating the three medals won in Paris 2024. After the failures in Rio 2016 and the Tokyo Olympics, Paris 2024 has been a fresh beginning, yet a lot needs to be done. What stands out is how personal coaches have fared exceedingly well while national coaches, plus some foreign coaches have done little. It was a good decision that the Government of India finally cleared many of the ‘private coaches’ after the early initiative had been taken by the Indian Olympic Association. Across disciplines, pistol, rifle and shotgun, private…

S Kannan in Chateauroux Manu Bhaker was involved in a nerve-jangling shoot-off for the 25m pistol bronze before eventually finishing fourth on Saturday. Having won two medals, both bronze, Manu had hoped to peak again. But then, there was pressure and there was intense competition as one more bronze medal eluded her. “This is tough, to finish fourth after winning two bronze medals,” Manu told RevSportz. “I can only look ahead and hope in 2028 Los Angeles I can do even better.” Even as she stepped off the range and chatted with Jaspal Rana, her coach. Manu said she wanted…

S.Kannan in Chateauroux Manu Bhaker has spent the last six weeks in Europe, around Luxembourg, and then hitting the Chateauroux shooting ranges for the Paris 2024 Olympics. In less than a few hours, Manu will be at the 25-metre sports pistol final hall. She will again aim to hit the ‘inner ring’ and win a historical medal for India, a third in a single edition of the Olympics. At 22, she has shown distractions can be kept away. Once she returns to India, there will be absolute chaos, if celebrations could be called so. From the time she lands at…