The Athletes’ Village at the Olympics has an overwhelming effect on one, especially when you see it for the first time. I remember being among the first Indian athletes to reach the Village with Abhinav Bindra. I was awestruck. But at the same time, as an athlete, you know you are there to perform. I tried to cut the excitement down. But truth be told, you can’t (laughs). That’s the reality because it’s so vast. I think that is the only place on Earth where thousands of athletes from different countries, ethnicities, races, religions, and cultures come together.
When I see a (Novak) Djokovic, for the first time, sitting on a small rock among friends and gossiping just like others, it feels nice. And then Serena Williams sitting right across my table where I’m having my breakfast—that is something! Yes, I’m an Olympian; I was taking part in the Games as well. But these were heroes we looked up to, and those were moments where you got starstruck. I don’t remember interacting with many athletes. But at the opening ceremony, I saw this huge guy breeze past me, dancing to the tunes being blasted at the stadium. And then it didn’t take me long to realise it was Usain Bolt. And that was one time when I went stiff because I have been a great follower of the man!
The dining area was so huge that it could fit in two football fields. It was amazing. There’s fun, frolic, and, of course, lots of food from different parts of the world. Some of which you would have perhaps never seen. But to my surprise, the biggest and clear favourite counter was that of McDonald’s. The best athletes in the world would stand in what was the longest of the queues. I never had a clue why, because, as athletes, we were always asked to follow a strict regime of nutrition and diet!
I must say I was a little fascinated by the African cuisine. Maybe because I hadn’t been exposed to African food before that. The menu looked very different and tasted different as well. I wouldn’t say I’m very fond of African food, but yeah, it was very new, and I had to experiment. There was, of course, a bit of window shopping, where we would look at the menu from every corner of the world and take turns being fascinated.
When I browse through folders on my laptop, I think I can find only 20 photos of mine. I am not very sure why I didn’t have more pictures. I was fond of photography back then as well. That was when I bought my first SLR (Single-Lens Reflex) camera and got it delivered to the Games Village. It was purchased from a store in Kolkata and brought in by Mr. B. G. Mallick (former vice-president of the Bengal Olympic Association), an official who was travelling to London. It was handed over to me at the Village gate. Maybe I didn’t use it much because I was too busy training and couldn’t find the time.
It was unfortunate that I missed out on a medal finish, but I must say I was fortunate to have stayed in the Village at that time. Everyone around me didn’t make me feel like I had finished fourth in the 50m rifle prone event. After the news spread, Indian athletes and officials from various sports asked me how I was doing. However, later that day, the reality sunk in when Saina Nehwal won the bronze medal (the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in badminton). While everyone was rightfully celebrating, I realised what I had missed.
I also missed out on exchanging lapel pins from other countries (a common practice among the sports fraternity at multi-discipline events) as well. Now I regret not doing it.
As told to Santadeep Dey
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