For Nikhat, a loss & an emotional end

IT was a tale of two losses in Paris that will torment India for a while.

- INDRANEEL DAS

If shooting has been a historic hunting ground for India, the boxing and badminton venues turned into a graveyard of hope for three of the biggest names on Thursday.

Nikhat Zareen lost her Round of 16 bout to China's Wu Yu. In the badminton hall, two of the most consistent shuttlers - Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty failed to advance to the semifinals as they lost toMalaysia's Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.

Nikhat's right upper lip was swollen. There were bruises on her cheeks. Sweat all over her body. Eyes were moist. She was breathing heavy after the bout.

She was stoic enough to not show her emotions at the mixed zone. There was too much pain in her, not because of the punches that landed on her. It was the loss that hurt her most. The way she was outclassed stung her more.

The failure to win her country a medal, which she kept reiterating while walking to the backstage, broke her. Unable to hold her myriad emotions boiling inside her, she started sobbing. Years of hard work and sacrifices vanished in those three rounds against a more agile, faster boxer. As she walked away, she was slowly picking up the pieces left behind by a shattered dream.