Five Indian athletes who came close to winning a medal at Tokyo Olympics

India registered its best ever Olympic campaign but some players fall short of glory.

The Indians are basking in the glory of Neeraj Chopra' historic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and rightly so. The nation has won an Olympic gold medal after 13 years of waiting and it is naturally a huge cause for celebration. With Neeraj's medal, the Indian contingent has broken the record of six medals from the London Olympics in 2012.

India end their Tokyo Olympics campaign with seven medals in total, which is their highest-ever at the Summer Games. While the likes of Mirabai Chanu, Ravi Kumar Dahiya, Bajrang Punia along with PV Sindhu, Lovlina Borgohain and the Indian men's hockey team rose to the grandest occasion of the Olympics, a lot of other athletes were a whisker away from winning an Olympic medal.

Here we take a look at athletes who were a win away or came agonizingly close to winning a medal:

Pooja Rani (Boxing)

Pooja Rani came to Tokyo Olympics in fiery form, winning multiple events and bagging several medals and accolades. The 30-year-old pugilist made her Olympics debut in Tokyo and it started with fireworks, as she won her first bout against Algeria's Ichrak Chaib.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZrIMPmusF0

Pooja was completely in control of her first bout, as she looked confident and landed most of her punches unsettling her opponent. The Indian pugilist progressed to the quarterfinals, in touching distance of securing an Olympic medal. But, she was up against one of the gold medal contenders in Li Qian of China.

On the big day, Pooja tried her best, but the gulf in class between her and the Chinese boxer was pretty evident. She gave her best shot, but it was not enough against Li Qian, who was comfortable throughout the three rounds and won the bout by unanimous decision. It was a heartbreak for Pooja Rani, but she performed really well at her debut Olympics as she was just a win away from securing a medal.

Satish Kumar (Boxing)

Satish Kumar also exceeded expectations at the Tokyo Olympics. The Asian Games bronze medalist showed incredible courage and determination to fight through the odds. He became the first Indian super heavyweight boxer to qualify for the Olympics and started with a bang, as he defeated Jamaica's Ricardo Brown 4-1 to progress to the quarterfinals.

Although he won his bout, it left him bruised. There were several deep cuts on his face and his participation in the next round was under scrutiny. Satish got the medical clearance before his quarterfinal bout and fought with 13 stitches on his face. He fought bravely against world champion and gold medal contender Bakhodir Jalolov. The 32-year-old came out all guns blazing, but could not match the agility and precision of his Uzbek opponent. But, it was because of his courage and grit that he was lauded all over the country and even earned the respect of his opponent.

Satish faced a defeat against a technically superior boxer, but it was his will to fight with 13 stitches that made him a champion at the Tokyo Olympics for the Indians.

Deepak Punia (Wrestling)

While the limelight was mostly on Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat in the build-up to Tokyo, Deepak Punia went about his business silently. The young grappler clinched silver at the World Championship in 2019 and came to the Tokyo Olympics with a fighting chance at a medal in his category.

Deepak's Olympics campaign started just as he would have liked, as he defeated Nigeria's Ekerekeme Agiomor in the first round by technical superiority. Punia then got the better of China's Lin Zushen winning 6-2 in the quarterfinals and was a win away from getting into the finals and securing an Olympic medal. However, he faced a big challenge in the semi-final against the legendary David Taylor. The American comfortable defeated Punia in a one-sided affair.

He now waited for the bronze medal match where he was up against San Marino's Miles Amine. The Indian grappler was favourite ahead of the bout and he started in that fashion and was six seconds away from clinching the bronze. But, in a shocking turn of events, Amine came up with a takedown right in the dying seconds and broke a billion hearts. Although Deepak's coach challenged the call, he knew that the Indian has lost his chance of winning an Olympic medal. The youngster was seconds away from winning the bronze, but it was simply not enough.

Indian Women's Hockey team

One of the most inspiring stories of these Olympics for India came from the Indian women's hockey team. Sjoerd Marijne's ladies started slowly as they lost their first three matches against the Netherlands, Germany and Great Britain. They conceded 11 goals in the first three group games, scoring only twice.

A quick reaction was needed from captain Rani Rampal and company to even qualify for the knockout stages. The 1-0 win over Ireland can be seen as a turning point for the Indian Eves. They followed it up wth a hard-fought 4-3 win over South Africa and qualified for the knockouts.

In the quarterfinals, they were up against the mighty Australians and hardly anyone gave them any chance. But, chief coach Marijne and his ladies proved everyone wrong. A drag flick goal from Gurjit Kaur and six penalty corner saves from Indian custodian Savita Punia helped the Indians create history. They defeated the Aussies 1-0 and it was unbelievable for the whole country. The Indian Eves started dreaming of that elusive Olympic medal as they progressed to the semi-finals. What followed next was heartbreak for the Indians, as they fought tooth and nail only to go down 1-2 against Argentina and their hopes of reaching the final were dealt a huge blow.

While hopes of a bronze medal were still intact, it was simply not to be as they fell short again. Marijne's ladies showcased a valiant fight, but lost the encounter 3-4 against Great Britain. The ladies may have returned empty-handed from this Olympics, but they have shown terrific resilience, grit and will.

Aditi Ashok (Golf)

Probably the biggest Indian heartbreak from Tokyo Olympics. Out of nowhere Indian golfer Aditi Ashok emerged as a medal hopeful with her consistent stroke play over four days. This young lady from Bengaluru forced everyone to wake up early in the morning and watch golf with their heart pounding in tension. It was indeed a nail-biting affair and Aditi, who had shown exceptional calmness and composure in the first three days was given a huge chance to win a medal at the end of the fourth day.

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But, the fortune gods had a different story to tell. Aditi, despite being ranked 200 in the world fought valiantly. She came up with multiple birdies and stayed close to the likes of Nelly Korda and Inami Mone, who eventually won the Gold and Silver. In the end, it was a matter of one stroke, where New Zealand's Lydia Ko leapfrogged Aditi Ashok and was tied in second with Inami Mone. Aditi's chances of winning an Olympic medal came to a heartbreaking end.

She finished in fourth position in the end. But, despite her loss, it will surely motivate a lot of people to take more interest in golf and hopefully, India will see a flurry of golfers coming out, inspired by Aditi's performance at the Olympic Games.

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