Three Medals at Beijing!!

All I ask is for three medals at Beijing this year.

Nothing fancy. Nothing impossible, given that India has already secured its first Individual Olympic Gold. Even two more Bronzes will do nicely, because, that would make for India's strongest showing in ever at any olympics!! That would not exactly be keeping up with the joneses in terms of golds though ( something we Indians always like to hope we are doing when it comes to any India-China Comparison) as the Hosts have already notched up 6 Gold medals with plenty more in the offing, and lead the current medals tally. As is quite likely,the Chinese might even end up topping the final medals tally,(Though I still think the US will rule the roost, but only just)
As for where these bronzes might come from for India One hopes for results from Saina Nehwal , maybe the Boxers, and Lee-Hesh.
FTR India's best performance at the olympics was at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, with a tally of 2 Medals, a Gold and a Bronze.Could this statistic change before the end of the Beijing Games?

One lives and one hopes...

[Update]
Strike 1: Saina Nehwal goes down in her quarterfinal clash against the Indonesian shuttler whose name I forget for the moment

We're left wih the Boxers, and Lee-Hesh.

[Update 2]

Strike 2: Lee-Hesh bow out in the Quarter-finals to Federer and partner

Things are not looking too hopeful at this stage.

[Update 3]

Akhil Kumar bows out in the quarters. So does Jitender kumar.
Out of the blue, however, we have a Bronze from Sushil Jadhav, who had actually bowed out of the wrestling competition with a first round defeat but came back miraculously in the repechage to down three strong opponents and clinch the bronze for India. So the fate of my prediction now hangs on the performance of one Vijender Kumar

[Update 4]

Vijender Kumar through to the Semis, and with no third place bout in boxing, my prediction is clinched with atleast a bronze already in the bag.

It's India's best outing ever at any Olympics till date.

If Vijender clinches a silver or a gold, then that would be truly sweet. However, given that he's up against the Cuban Emilio Correa it would be truly phenomenal if he secured even a silver from here!!

Well here's hoping London 2012 becomes India's first multi gold olympics
Here's to atleast 3 Golds at the 2012 London Games

"Manjrekar Theory"

I know that India lost the just concluded test series to Australia and the much awaited taming of the"last frontier" was finally and efficiently achieved by the visitors.Yet, there can be no denying the joy I derived from the victory in the last test.You may knock the pitch all you like, and cry shame to the heavens and back but the fact remains that India won. And that, I like!!

Now, you may think that this was because of several reasons among which would rate no doubt miscellaneous assorted and undeniably logical factors such as poor batting by the visitors, an absolute turner of a track, the sudden and ominous return to form of two of Autralia's arch nemeses viz SRT & VVSL, but I offer another explanation... My version is that we won because of Manjrekar.

Ever since the junior Manjrekar took to cricket commentary he has been the foulest "panvati" for India( as is described in local lingo). I've yet to see a match where Manjrekar was rooting for the home team in a close scrape and they came up tops. On the other hand you knew for sure that Tendulkar or Ganguly or whosoever-Manjrekar-names is sure to get out for a duck or thereabouts when you hear him harping about how dangerous these batsmen are and how we're in for a sure treat as far as their batting is concerned. On another day you might feel it in your bones that Kumble is gonna skittle out the opposition for next to nothing, only to hear Manjrekar confirm your opinions in enthusiastic tones,and the next thing you know Kumble has been tonked all over the park and his figures read 10-0-78-0 or something just as painful.The agony is, despite all of this Manjrekar remains a staunch India victory hopeful and never ceases to make hopeful and optimistic statements about India, NONE of which ever come true.

This friday therefore as India packed up there 2nd innings at 205ish and faced defeat in the final tie with a measly total of 104 to defend all hope had left my dejected countenance and I settled into my fave couch potato location merely to keep tabs occasionally on the unfolding of the ignonimous defeat to the Aussies. Therefore you can well gauge the electrifying and rejuvenating shock I received when I tuned into the brodcast between innings to catch Manjrekar averring that with a measly 104 to defend there was NO WAY INDIA could win this match. According to him, with the Australian batting lineup even 150 or 200 would be a virtual walkover . All dejection left me then and as events bore out my shrewd intuitive hunch India did in fact go on to win...and that's why I say we owe it to Manjrekar's "kaali zabaan" in no small measure!!