1, 2, 3.....and that was it, the best ever show by India at Olympics and Beijing was the place where it all happened. A country where cricket is considered almost a religion, choose to dismantle that belief and announced its arrival on the world stage. India had not taken home more than two medals from a single game before and the best ever tag came despite the absence of its trademark hockey team, winner of eight Olympic titles, which did not even qualify for Beijing
Gold and two bronzes will hardly create a ripple on the medals tally, but it marked a giant leap forward for Olympic sports in a country that had eyes and ears only for the glamour boys of cricket. Rifle shooter Abhinav Bindra's victory in the 10m event, which won India its first ever individual Olympic gold medal, was hailed by the government and media as the country's greatest sporting achievement. Wrestler Sushil Kumar and boxer Vijender Kumar also won the hearts of millions - and promises of cash rewards on their return home - with their bronze medal winning feats.
The contrasting backgrounds of the three medal winners tell a story of fighting the odds and a steely determination to rise to the pinnacle. Bindra, 26, the son of a wealthy businessman in northern Chandigarh, chose to overcome the mediocrity in Indian sport when he had the easier option of a relaxed, privileged life.
Vijender, 22, whose father drives a state transport bus, trains at the now famous Bhiwani Boxing Club (BBC), a sun-scorched shed with tin roofs, worn-out rings and tattered gunny bags where hand pumps are used to draw water.
Sushil, 25, whose father works as a driver with India's state-run telephone company, took up wrestling at the age of 10 because that is what young boys in his village used to do.
Indian sportsperson are hoping the staging of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2010 will provide a fillip to Olympic sports in the country and bring it to par with cash-rich cricket.
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