THREE LANDMARK EVENTS IN INDIAN SPORT SHOWCASE HOW FINE THE LINE BETWEEN PREPARATION, SKILL, SUCCESS AND DISAPPOINTMENT CAN BE.

Different sports, but feeling is same: "I could relate to her disappointment. These things stay with you for all time", P.T. Usha , who sat glued to the TV on 27th August, 2017 (Sunday) as P.V. Sindhu gave it her all in the world badminton final, could feel what the Indian shuttler was going through. Usha had experienced a similar heart-break during the 400m hurdles final in the 1984 Olympics, missing bronze by a whisker in Los Angeles. Sindhu, Usha felt, fought gallantly till the very end. "It was a golden effort though she settled for a silver", she said. "It was an absorbing final and I was glued to the TV throughout. When she won the second game I thought she is going to be lucky this time but sadly, it didn't end the way we wanted it". A medal hope in 1984, Usha had to settle for fourth place, 1/100th of a second behind Christeana Cojocaru of Romania. "Badminton and athletics are not the same but yes, in the end she would have felt the same. At Los Angeles, after the last hurdle and while sprinting to the line, I think my leg was ahead of her but she won it by bending to the tape", Usha remembered. 
"This is what sport is all about. Look at what sport is all about. Look at Saina Nehwal. What a spirited comeback. You have to credit her as I know how difficult it is to come back from a knee injury. It takes a lot of grit", said Usha.
A race that still stops time in India: When Milkha Singh narrowly missed a bronze medal in the 1960 Rome Olympics, television had not invaded our drawing rooms like it did during P.V. Sindhu's epic battle which sent heart-beats fluctuating with excitement. In the 1950s and 1960s, you had to wait for morning's newspapers for news about Milkha's exploits, perhaps primitive compared to today when news spreads instantly. Yet, the races which the Indian sport's first super-star took part in, at home or abroad, created a buzz whenever he stepped on a track. Memories are still fresh of the days in September, 1960 when Milkha made his way through the heats into the final of the 400 metres final. He began by clocking 47.6 seconds in the first heat, and followed up with running the quarter-final and semi-final heats in 45.5 and 45.9. Milkha has admitted that he had difficulty falling asleep on the night before the Rome final. Nothing unusual. There were athletics fans back home who also went through a similar experience. But once the starrer cracked his gun, our man, running in the fifth lane if memory serves right, was off to a promising start. For some reason, some called it an error of judgment, he slowed down a bit at the 250 metre mark. Otis Davis of the US, Germany's Karl Kaufmann, and Spence were there at the tape ahead of Milkha, who was fourth in 46.5 sec. Milkha's hopes, as also that of his fellow-countrymen, of winning an Olympic track medal ended in painful disappointment, a pain which endures to this day. 
In 1984, we were simply the best but...: We were a great hockey team in the 1984 Olympics. Everybody predicted  an Australia and India final for the gold medal. But destiny had other plans. We needed to beat West Germany to play the final. Three minutes to go, the scores at 0-0, I got a chance. A flying ball came at me at almost chest-height and I had just a fraction of a second to react. I noticed a small gap between the Germany goal-keeper's legs and the post. It was gettable, practice and instinct teaches you that. Nine times out of ten, we would have threaded the ball in. But when I took the shot, it hit the post and flew out. Unbelievable! It ended in a draw and we failed to make it to the semifinals. That was a huge heart-breaking moment. We were a very strong team in 1984, we did not lose a single game barring the one against Australia. After the draw with West Germany, we won the next two matches to finish fifth, but failing to beat West Germany was a very sad moment for us. But that's sport for you. It teaches you a lot of things. Despite all of your skills and everything, you also need a little bit of luck. Some other day, that shot could have been a goal. Like with Sindhu, if some shots had gone her way or, if she had that fraction of luck more, the match could have gone her way.  - 1984 captain, Zafar Iqbal.  
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