Storyboard from the games

— Saina Nehwal,gold,badminton singles

‘Gulp down the juice quietly and don’t leave a single shuttle,’ my mom had warned me before my final match started. Having played badminton herself,she knows what goes through in my mind ahead of a match,so her instructions are precise. After the 70-odd minute final,one of the longest high-pressure matches I’ve played,I was glad that I had that glass of juice My father gets very nervous watching me in a stadium,so he prefers to watch on the television. I threw my racquet into the stands after the win because when you’ve just won and are very happy and relieved,you don’t really know what you are doing. The medal was so important for me. I’ve played this opponent (Mew Choo Wong) before,but never had she run like this. She chased down every shuttle. The quarterfinal loss at the Olympics two years ago still kills my sleep,and I’d say that one match and that defeat has made me what I am today. A lot of credit goes to my coaches,who even when I was a match-point down,kept telling me that I could come back. Sometimes coaches realise and give up,but mine never did. Gopi had told me that especially in the Games,you need to always stay patient.That helped.

I got offers to train abroad

— Mandeep Kaur,gold,4×400 relay

Nothing can compare to the joy of winning a gold and that too when it’s your first. I was in a trance from the moment I won the medal. When I entered the Games Village sports minister MS Gill embraced me. ‘Congrats Mandeep,you have made us proud. I can’t tell you how happy I am,’ the sports minister said. It was really satisfying to hear such praise. It meant a lot to me because we had trained really hard to go one better than the 4×400 relay team’s silver at the Melbourne Games. All our perseverance paid off when we were able to clinch the gold in front of a capacity crowd. I also got a few offers from coaches of other countries to go abroad and train when I met foreign delegates the next day. I got a offers from the Canadians,the Kenyans and the Australians. They not only praised me but also offered to have me train in their countries. They said that the sports institutes there,funded by the government,would take care of all my expenses. I really felt special that day. I have never experienced such a high before. I am happy to be training in India. After all it is because of the hard work of the coaches and support from the federation that we have been able to excel.

I know what it means to be famous now

— Katulu Ravi Kumar,gold,clean and jerk

The cherished moment for me during the Games was when I lifted 175 kilograms to win gold and set a new Games record. Ahead of the Games,I had set a target of 175 kilograms and it was very satisfying to have achieved it. Nothing can match the feeling of winning gold It was at that moment that I made the transformation from just another lifter to a star. Before the Commonwealth Games,I don’t think anyone even recognised me other than my close friends, training partners and coaches. But the last few days have been a revelation for me it terms of what it means to be a star. So many people came to me and wanted my autograph. It has never happened to me before. Now,I know what kind of a life these superstar athletes live. I want to stay grounded. I want to now win a medal at the Asian Games and then it will be doubly satisfying.

Old friends’ club

— Yogeshwar Dutt,gold,60kg free style

I got the surprise of my life when fans came up to me and said they wanted my autograph. This is the first time that I experienced what it is to be a star. This gold has made me popular. Earlier,hardly anyone used to recognise me. But this is a great feeling. I feel appreciated and it also gives me a lot of encouragement. The Games also gave me an opportunity to catch up with old friends. One such friend was Daniel Igali,who is now the chief coach of Nigeria’s wrestling squad. Igali is a former world champion and an Olympic medal winner from Canada. He has been following my progress very closely over the years. It was very pleasant to have met him during the Games. Obviously,I asked him how I must approach a bout. He told me that I must always attack and not go on the defensive. His advice has always helped me and I cherish that he takes time out and goes out of the way to talk to me about the sport because he really doesn’t have to do such things.

Hassle-free transport system a blessing

— Gurpreet Singh,gold in 10m air pistol pairs, 25m rapid fire pistol pairs

I was so focused on my event that I hardly interacted with people and could hardly make any new friends. Of course,for me,winning the two gold was the highlight of these Games. For me the best thing about the Games was the transportation service. The buses that took athletes to the venues were simply fantastic. Even if there were only a couple of athletes in the bus,it would leave for the stadium. It made transportation hassle-free and I could focus fully on my event. Even if an athlete missed one bus there was always another waiting and ready to go. I have been to many World Cups and also to other international competitions but never has the transportation system been so good and well-planned.

They called me super-crazy

— Ashish Kumar,bronze,floor event; silver,vault.

After my two medals,I believe,that I have been able to make people sit up and take notice of gymnastics in our country. Two things that have stood out for me during the Games is the support I got from the crowd and the new friends I made among the competitors from other countries. Talking about the spectators at the stadium,I think initially they thought that I was participating just because India was hosting the Games. But as I moved into medal contention they warmed up to me when they realised that I had earned my place. Fellow competitors also gave me a nickname: ‘that super-crazy Indian’. I got the nickname after my first diagonal floor exercise routine during which I was very aggressive. After my first vault,the English gymnast,Reiss Beckford,put his hand on my shoulder and told me: “Ashish you have made sure I cannot get the gold!” Most of the competitors were very helpful and took time out to give me tips. I guess they were happy that an Indian was doing so well in gymnastics. During the press conference,held after I got bronze in the floor exercises,a reporter from Singapore started asking me questions in English. I did not understand what he was asking me. Thankfully,Thomas Pichler of Australia,who won gold,explained my entire routine to the journalist and said what a difficult exercise it was.

Canadians brought pastries to celebrate

— Paramjeet Samota,gold,super-heavy weight boxing

One incident I will remember for the rest of my life is a 10-year-old urging his mother to get my autograph on a pair of gloves after the semifinal. He did not know my name. But it did not matter. We don’t get to fight a lot at home and it made the whole experience a special one. Viju (Vijender) is well known. But for me it was a new experience to hear the crowd chanting my name. The atmosphere at the Games Village was fantastic. Staying together meant we always had the opportunity to play pranks. We switched each other’s practice gear and also changed around diet plans. When I won the gold,our neighbours,who were the Canadians brought us pastries. I could not talk to them fluently because my English is poor but all the same it was touching that they also celebrated by gold. There was a lot of camaraderie within the Games Village. It helped us relax before big fights. After the final,the same youngster came to me and wanted my autograph. This time he knew my name. No matter how many medals I win in the future,this Commonwealth Games gold will remain very special.

Keeping out Kirkham’s stroke was fantastic

— Bharat Chetri,silver,men’s hockey goalkeeper

The semifinal against England was the highlight of the tournament. We were down 1-3 and came back strongly to level the scores and take the game into a tie-breaker. It was a team effort and I enjoyed every minute of the game though there was a lot of pressure right through this game. Once we leveled the scores we were very confident that this was going to be our day. I was delighted to have saved a penalty which gave India a 8-7 win (5-4 in penalties) and took us to our first Commonwealth Games final. When I kept out Glenn Kirkham’s penalty it was one of the greatest feelings. Kirkham’s eyes revealed which side he was going to strike. I dived to the right and saved the shot.