It is understandable that the Asian Games are not as big as the Olympics. However, people forget that even in the Asian Games, usually 40 to 50 countries participate in every edition
In India, the majority of people tend to celebrate only the outcomes from the topmost competition. For example, in cricket, the ODI World Cup is more celebrated, and if the team loses, people go berserk. However, the same feeling was not witnessed when India lost the World Test Championship.
Similarly, when it comes to athletics, only an Olympic medal suffices; for the rest, nothing else matters. Due to this reason, several athletes, despite achieving tremendous success in other competitions, never received their due.
As India celebrates its 79th Independence Day this August, we believe it is an apt opportunity to give a special shoutout to those athletes who won multiple gold medals at the Asian Games but never received enough recognition.
Star tennis player Leander Paes broke India’s drought in the Olympics by winning the country’s first individual medal after 44 years in 1996. Before 1996, India’s last individual medal was in 1952. While Paes’s Olympic glory is often celebrated, nobody talks about his five gold and three bronze medals in the Asian Games. Not to forget, he also holds the record for most doubles wins in the Davis Cup.
(Credit- The Better India)
P.T. Usha is often hailed as the “Queen” of Indian track and field. However, people mostly remember Usha for her near miss in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where she missed a bronze medal by 1/100th of a second, an incident similar to Milkha Singh's. However, in the Asian Games, Usha won four gold and seven silver medals that are rarely discussed.
(Credit- India Today)
While the majority of Indians are aware of Leander Paes and P.T. Usha, how many remember Jaspal Rana? Since he did win an Olympic medal, nobody bats an eye. Rana is a former shooter who won 15 medals in the Commonwealth Games, including nine gold medals. And when it comes to the Asian Games, Rana earned four gold, two silver, and two bronze medals. He also won one gold medal each in the Asian Championships and World Junior Championships.
(Credit- Daily Pioneer)
Fondly called the “Flying Sikh”, Milkha Singh’s life was more glorified for his near miss in the Rome Olympics, where he finished fourth. It is understandable that even finishing fourth at the Olympic Games is worth romanticising. However, not speaking enough about Singh’s other achievements is an insult to his illustrious career, which saw him win 77 races out of 88. In the Asian Games, the late army athlete won four gold medals, which deserve further discussion.
Apart from the above-mentioned athletes, other notable athletes include Parduman Singh Brar, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Manjeet Kaur, Harinder Pal Sandhu, M. R. Poovamma, Navneet Gautam, Rakesh Kumar, and Ojas Pravin Deotale, who have each won a minimum of three gold medals in the Asian Games.
