Milkha Singh: The Flying Sikh's Photo Finish
The story of Milkha Singh's near-miss at the 1960 Rome Olympics is etched in India's collective memory. A favourite for the 400-metre race, the 'Flying Sikh' was a dominant force, having won gold at the Commonwealth and Asian Games. In the final, he exploded
out of the blocks, leading the pack for the first 200 metres. But in a split-second decision he later regretted, he slowed his pace to glance at his competitors. That fractional hesitation was all it took. In a frantic finish, he was edged out of a medal position, finishing fourth despite setting a national record of 45.73 seconds. The bronze was decided by a photo-finish, a gut-wrenching end to a race that defined his legacy as much as his many victories.
P.T. Usha: The Heartbreak of One-Hundredth of a Second
Twenty-four years after Milkha Singh's heartbreak, another Indian track and field legend faced a similar fate. At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, P.T. Usha was a formidable contender in the women's 400-metre hurdles. The 'Payyoli Express' blazed through the heats and semi-finals, setting a new Commonwealth record. In the final, after a false start by another athlete reset the field, Usha recovered from a slightly slow start to power through the race. As she lunged for the finish line, it was impossibly close. In the nail-biting moments that followed, the results of a photo-finish revealed she had missed the bronze medal by a mere 1/100th of a second. Her time of 55.42 seconds was a new Asian record, but the podium remained just out of reach in one of the most agonising near-misses in Olympic history.
Abhinav Bindra: A Champion's Final Stand
Abhinav Bindra had already tasted ultimate glory, winning India's first individual Olympic gold in 2008. His appearance at the 2016 Rio Olympics was his swansong, a final attempt to stand on the podium. He qualified for the 10m air rifle final, navigating the immense pressure with the calm precision he was known for. In the final, he was in the hunt for a medal throughout, holding his own against the world's best. After 16 shots, he found himself tied for third place with Ukraine's Serhiy Kulish. It all came down to a single-shot shoot-off for a place in the top three. Bindra shot a 10.0, a strong score under pressure, but his opponent shot a near-perfect 10.5, ending Bindra's campaign in fourth place. It was a quiet, dignified end for a champion who came incredibly close to a second Olympic medal.
Dipa Karmakar: The Vault of Courage
In a country with virtually no gymnastics heritage, Dipa Karmakar's journey to the 2016 Rio Olympics was historic in itself. She was the first Indian female gymnast to qualify for the Games. In the vault final, she chose to perform the 'Produnova', an extremely difficult and dangerous manoeuvre sometimes called the 'vault of death'. She executed it with courage, but a slight imperfection on the landing proved costly. Her final score of 15.066 placed her in fourth position, missing the bronze by just 0.15 points. While she didn't win a medal, her audacious performance captured the nation's imagination, turning her into an overnight hero and putting Indian gymnastics on the world map.
Aditi Ashok: The Unforgettable Fourth Place
At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, a 23-year-old golfer ranked 200th in the world had all of India tuning in. Aditi Ashok, in her second Olympic appearance, delivered a performance for the ages. For three days, she was firmly in the medal hunt, entering the final day's play in the silver medal position. Battling against the world's top players, including world No. 1 Nelly Korda, Aditi played with remarkable composure. She remained in contention until the very end, but on the final day, she finished just one stroke shy of a playoff for the silver and bronze medals. Her fourth-place finish was the best ever by an Indian golfer at the Olympics and is credited with creating a massive surge of interest in the sport across the country.
