China, Phelps and Bindra Sizzle in Beijing

The 08-08-08 event was the most spectacular and awe-inspiring of recent times. The artistry, creativity and elegance put up by China was all there to see. Beijing was the cynosure of all eyes as the Bird's Nest basked in resplendent colours that evening. The sky lit itself to reflect the pomp unfolding beneath as the onlookers rejoiced every single moment of it, taking in all the pulchritude of the event. And those who thought China was sultry and dull in its appearance had several questions eating their minds. It was as good as a Peking Manchow served to a hungry man, unsettling the bitter prejudice surrounding China and leaving him crave for more. As an emerging nation, China made several strong statements, leaving everyone spellbound. Such was the specialty of the ceremony that French President Nicolas Sarkozy had to withdraw his earlier decision of not touring China. The West had to open itself to accept the staunch truth- China's Rising Power. George Bush and Vladimir Putin never complained in the end. President Hu Jintao later was to tell,"The World had never needed mutual understanding, mutual toleration and mutual cooperation as much as it does today".

In the news for all the good reasons, it is the 25 year old Indian shooting ace Abhinav Singh Bindra who ended the country's long wait for its first ever Olympic Gold in an individual event. India's last Olympic Gold came when our hockey team emerged triumphant at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. In Beijing, it was on this historic day, August 11, 2008 that India finally found its answers in the 10m Air Rifle Event. The young lad deserved this after several years of rigor and practice. An Olympian breaking into tears of joy at the medals podium is such a familiar sight. After all, it is the ultimate honour of human endeavour in any field. Surprisingly enough, Abhinav never expressed a flinch of tear or excitement. His gentle smile while accepting the coveted Gold perhaps arises from his strong belief of reaching heights by diligent workmanship. Finnish Henri Hakkinen, who was leading Bindra comfortably till the penultimate round, was all praise for Abhinav's consistency and his temperament of relentless fight. Hakkinen and China's Zhu Qinan, holding the first two spots after the qualification round were left trailing by Abhinav's accuracy. Bindra's last shot of 10.8 was just too good to be beaten by Hakkinen's listless 9.7. Abhinav's achievement adds the much-needed fillip to Indian Olympic circle, which was to a great extent, nominal in its cause till now. London now awaits Bindra for yet another gold, but let's hope he does not lose sight of his aim like Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. Medal, Glory, Encomiums and lots of Hope rest on Bindra post his golden feat. Lets cheer him up for more.

At the time of writing, the shark had successfully achieved its 6th Gold. And wait!! He is not done yet. With 12 Golds in his name, American Swimming Sensation Michael Phelps is all set to finish Beijing off with two more. During 2004 Athens Olympics, Phelps had 6 Gold and 2 Bronze medals under his name. Today, he is reigning the All Time Olympics Medal Chart with 12 Golds. Michael Phelps has more than compensated for sister Whitney's injury that rendered her unfit to swim just when she was on the verge of making it to the national squad. Phelps is now all set to overtake Mark Spitz record tally of 7 Gold medals in a single Olympic Games.That shouldn't be a difficult task for him. He's been on song right from day 1 when he pocketed a Gold at the 400m individual medley, setting a World Record of 4:03.84. His feet have been referred to as 'fins' by the media, because he wears a shoe sized 14. His wing span, said to be at almost 6.5 ft, coupled by his 6' 4" height makes it ridiculously easy for him to transfer large amounts of water behind him. His hands and feet are like paddles in water and has an incredibly powerful kick. Having shown his ability to dominate in any swimming event, Phelps is special for his signature butterfly stroke. Says U.S swimming coach Bob Bowman,"I think if it were all over today, he'd be the greatest Olympian who ever lived".

China have been dominating hosts overall. They are comfortably placed at the top of the table at the moment, and are bound to finish on a high. The USA is far behind them with only eleven golds so far, and when you realize that Phelps alone has notched 6 of them, you know well.