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Friday, August 6 2021 Dive In |
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That’s part of the statement put out by FC Barcelona marking the end of a football era: the departure of superstar Lionel Messi—who will be leaving the only club he has ever played for since he was a teenager. The reason: money. The club was unable to pay his salary—despite Messi accepting hefty cuts—as per the limits imposed by the Spanish league La Liga. His rumoured suitors include Manchester City and Paris St. Germain. |
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Tokyo Olympics update: Bronze is sweeter than silver |
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The TLDR: Since there isn’t a big headline that needs explanation, we’re doing an Olympics roundup—with a big spotlight on hockey.
A single bronze in hockeyBoth the men’s and women’s Indian team lost in the semi finals—but kept the door open for a bronze. And their critical matches were on successive days.
Heartbreak for the women: Yes, it’s official. Britain has defeated India 4-3 to take home the bronze. The killer: a penalty corner in the fourth quarter. SRK—always the first to jump in on all ‘Chak De’ matters—sweetly tweeted: “Heartbreak!!! But all reasons to hold our heads high. Well played Indian Women’s Hockey Team. You all inspired everyone in India. That itself is a victory.” There were tears on the field:
But as this sports journalist reminds us—they lost a very close game to the Rio 2016 gold medalists:
Also, beware the casteist a****les: Upper caste men harassed team member Vandana Katariya’s family at her village in Uttarakhand. They burst crackers, danced and hurled casteist slurs, saying the team had lost the semi finals because it had “too many Dalit players.” Two men—one of whom is a national-level hockey player—have been arrested, and one has gone missing.
A big bronze for the men: who beat Germany 5-4 on Thursday. Why this is such a big deal: It ended a 41-year drought in Olympic medals for men’s hockey. The last time we won was a gold in Moscow in 1980. This is our 12th Olympics medal in men’s hockey. As Captain Manpreet Singh said, just moments after the victory: “Medal... Medal toh medal hota hai.”
A pandemic medal: Manpreet Singh dedicated the medal to “doctors and frontline health workers who have saved so many lives in India.”
Why this medal mattered: Men’s hockey has long been big on talent and low on self-confidence. As Ashish Magotra in Scroll writes:
The skipper echoed the sentiment at the press conference, where Singh declared: “If we can finish on podium in Olympics, we can finish on podium anywhere.”
The big star: India put in a lion-hearted performance, staging a big comeback after being 1-3 down in the first half. The star of the match was goalie PR Sreejesh whose brilliant saves—including one with just six seconds left on the clock—preserved our lead. Ironically, he once said of his role:
The sheer joy: Sreejesh climbed up the goalpost. Manpreet was in tears. And former India captain Viren Rasquinha was ecstatic in the commentator’s box.
But the Prime Minister struck a very odd note as he used the hockey win in a political speech—linking it to the two most controversial issues: Kashmir and Ram Mandir:
A (sorrowful) silver in wrestlingWhile other Indian athletes have been rejoicing in their bronze medals, Ravi Dahiya was heart-broken when he won a silver after the 57 kg wrestling final. Dahiya put up a valiant fight but could not overcome his Russian rival: two-time world champion Zavur Uguev—who beat him 7-4. And Dahiya’s disappointment was writ large on his face and in his body language—even on the podium where he did not crack a smile. See him below:
In Dahiya’s mind, he did not win the silver, he lost the gold. He later said: “What’s the point of this? I had come here with only one target, a gold medal. This is okay, but it’s not gold.”
In other big moments… |
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