Asian Games 2010 Medal Tally : Sandhya wins silver for India

Full credit to Sandhyarani Devi Wangkhem for ensuring India won at least one medal on Wednesday as the Manipur girl clinched a silver in wushu.

This edition of the Asian Games has been one of huge disappointments and surprises for India. If the shooters and weightlifters have performed miserably, swimming, gymnastics and now a Chinese martial art have partially lifted the gloom.

Having sustained an injury in the semi-finals, Sandhyarani fought bravely against her Iranian rival Khadijeh Azadpour in the final before losing on points. As the defending champion, Khadijeh used her experience to good effect against the Indian at the Nansha Gymnasium where the number of Indians present in the hall was indeed surprising.

To be sure, Sandhyarani has never seen this kind of support for her, though from a medal point of view, her feat needs to be lauded. That she was not fully fit could be gauged from the fact that the Indian could not kick well. Khadijeh apparently knew her rival’s injury and knew where to attack. “I was trying to use my arms but that did not work,” Sandhyarani said.

From the start, Khadijeh was aggressive as she twice pushed the Indian out of the zone on the floor. The tall Iranian was indeed quick on her feet and used her height to good advantage.

As the contest progressed, Sandhyarani, who is a CRPF officer, tried using defensive tactics, but it did not work. “I am sad not to have won gold. I was hoping for the best but my calf injury prevented me from giving my best,” said Sandhyarani.

Another problem for the Indian was that she had to change her weight category. “I compete in the 56kg category. Since that category was not listed in the competition I entered in the 60kg,” said the Indian. Her bodyweight now is 59kg at a height of five feet four inches. “If only I had won gold it would have been very good,” lamented Sandhyarani.

Wushu was introduced as a medal sport at the Asian Games in Beijing in 1990. There are many forms of this martial art which has its roots in China. The forms comprise basic movements like stances, kicks, punches, jumps, sweeps and throws.

In the Asian Games, ‘sanshou’ is the name given to the form of wushu where speed, alertness and reflexes matter. However, for an Indian to win silver in the event is indeed a welcome surprise.