She did her best to hold it back,rapidly blinking her eyelids to control the bitter tears,while taking her place on the podium. Shattered emotionally,the grappler managed to force out a broken smile for the camera. But when Ifeoma Christi Nwoye took her rightful place,on the top step of the dais,it was a bit much to expect Babita Kumari to keep up the pretense. The tears streamed down her cheek bones uncontrollably during the Nigerian national anthem,as Babita finally stopped fighting against her emotions. It was a day of what could have been for the 20-year-old from Haryana,for on Friday she could have cried with joy,at the music of her national song. In the end,a silver medal was nothing more than a worthless consolation an emotional wound that will heal only with time. Just a day earlier,Babita clapped and cheered from the stands as her elder sister Geeta went on to become the first female wrestler from India to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. While the nation took notice of the fairer genders wrestling capabilities,Geetas father Mahabir Singh Paughat was only half-satisfied for Babitas prowess was yet to be put on national display. Having watched the bout back in his home-cum-akhara (Babita and Geeta trained in their own backyard) in Haryana,Mahabir telephoned his youngest daughter to give a few words of encouragement. The expectations though,rose through the night and by the time it was Babitas turn for glory,the pressure was whistling. It was my fathers dream for me to win gold and I was desperate for his dream to materialise, Babita said. But the 20-year-old knew better than succumbing to expectations,as she stormed her way into the final during the days morning session,hardly breaking a sweat on the way. Mahabirs dream was now on the verge of turning into reality. As Geeta lent her vocal support from the stands this time,Babita entered the Indira Gandhi Indoor stadium praying for success. But very soon,the prayers went unanswered as the first round flashed by in an instant,with the Nigerian taking a narrow 2-0 lead. The beginning of the second round wasnt too different from the first,as Babita conceded three quick points to trail by a 5-0 margin. But just as her hopes were dimming,Babita summoned her inner strength,back flipping Nwoye to earn a much needed three-pointer. With both the crowd and the momentum on her side,another hold worked for Babita,as she reduced the scoreline to 5-4. And just when she was looking good to pull off a miracle turn-around,the timer started clocking its final few ticks,and a distracted Babita conceded her final two points of the Delhi Games. At 7-4,time ran out on Babita. And Mahabirs dreams. The tears may have helped reduce the pain,but Babita eventually resigned to her fate. I practiced really hard for a gold,but I couldnt get it. I wasnt able to execute my moves against the Nigerian girl. I wasnt able to fulfill my duty, Babita said. And what did her father have to say about the CWG silver? He said it hardly matters if I win gold or silver. All that matters was that I gave a 100 per cent.
