Boria Majumdar in Paris
It was the archery mixed-team semi-final against Iran and the match was tied at 152-152. Even in the shoot-off, both teamshit near-identical 10s. But then, with Iran’s 10s being millimetres closer to the centre, they were declared the winners and advanced to the final. For Rakesh Kumar and Sheetal Devi, it was a crushing blow. Twice in two days, Rakesh was so near yet so far. And Sheetal, who had lost by a point in her individual event, yet again lost out by the narrowest of margins.
They had one more chance to make it count. The bronze medal play-off. And yet again, it was as close as it could get. With the match tied, the judges needed to relook at one of the arrows, which was originally given a 9*. On scrutiny, it was found to be a ten and that meant the jinx was finally broken. Sheetal and Rakesh had won the bronze and the curse that had started during the Olympics was finally over.
When I met Sheetal and Rakesh outside the athletes’ entrance of the stadium at 9pm local time, both were tired but mighty relieved and excited. “I can’t tell you what this medal means to me,” said Sheetal. “I want to dedicate this medal to my academy, to my mother and my family and to every Indian back home,” said the 17 year old. Rakesh too dedicated the medal to his coaches and said that at no point did he feel pressure. “Yesterday, I lost a very close match,” he said. “Today, we won a very close contest. Whatever is destined will happen.”
Did she feel any pressure when it was all so close? Did she at any point have a feeling that the medal could slip away?
“No, I did not,” said Sheetal. “We were confident we could do well and while the semi-final did not go our way, we went into the bronze medal match knowing we could win it for India. Like Matt Stutzman, who won gold yesterday, says, ‘Always enjoy the effort and keep a smile on your face.’ I try and do the same. Wins or losses are part of sport but that doesn’t take away from me enjoying what I am doing.”
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Finally Sheetal and Rakesh on the podium! God just couldn’t be more unkind. @RevSportzGlobal @pranmaz @sharmisthagoop2 pic.twitter.com/ctgfoAVjKo
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) September 2, 2024
All this while Sheetal’s mother was standing in one corner and watching her daughter speak to the media. She is a proud parent and knows that her daughter is a poster girl back home. And yet her humility knows no bounds. “Main nahibaatkarnachahti [I don’t wish to talk]”was all she said but then, on our request, presented the medal to Sheetal and reenacted the medal ceremony for us. “I have always received a lot of support from my mother,” said Sheetal before adding, “They have made a lot of sacrifices to see me here and I will never disappoint them.”
While praising the efforts of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Sports Ministry, TOPS and the Archery Association and its High Performance DirectorSanjeeva Kumar Singh, Kuldeep Vedwan, Sheetal’s coach said, “Sanjeeva Sir was very disappointed when we did not win a medal at the Olympics. I am glad we can see him smile today. He has done a lot for archery and this medal from Rakesh and Sheetal is also a tribute to him.” Abhilasha Chaudhary, Kuldeep’s wife and current coach of the team, concurred. “It is always a collective effort,” she said. “We all felt good seeing Sanjeeva Sir happy after all the disappointment. We will only get better.”
Sheetal, who was all this while enjoying the conversation, summed it up beautifully. “This is my first Paralympics and I am glad I could win a medal here,” she said. “Going ahead, I will surely change the colour of the medal.”
For the moment though, we aren’t complaining. We wanted to see Sheetal and Rakesh on the podium and we saw that happen. At times, the colour of the medal just doesn’t matter. The emotion associated with it does. This is one such medal. And it has made the Paralympics come alive for all of us here in Paris.