THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary-August 30, 2017- Topic 2

Two medals strong

Sindhu, Saina continue Indian badminton’s dream run

It was an epic final at badminton’s biggest stage, and it stood out as the finest advertisement for the women’s game. Two young title aspirants battled for 110 minutes before the gold at the World Badminton Championships in Glasgow was decided by the narrowest of margins. P.V. Sindhu may not have come out victorious against the eventual champion, Nozomi Okuhara of Japan, but she won more hearts for her gallant display of endurance. 

In doing so, she further raised the profile of badminton and of women’s sport itself in India. A silver medal for Sindhu and a bronze for Saina Nehwal make this the most rewarding Indian campaign in the premier championship. It was a formidable challenge that they offered going into the Glasgow championships, and both had been seen to be in the reckoning for the gold. That challenge is made sharper by the fact that Nehwal, the silver medallist in 2015, and Sindhu, the bronze medallist in 2013 and 2014, have been engaged in a silent battle of their own. This rivalry is proving to be extremely beneficial for Indian badminton, providing the nucleus for a cluster of excellence that is vital for any sport to flourish. Sindhu’s latest medal, to go with the Rio Olympics silver last year, has clearly taken her past Nehwal in terms of achievement in badminton’s two premier competitions — the Olympics and the World Championships. Given Nehwal’s famed never-say-die credo, she is sure to try to reclaim her status. She had carried an injury to Rio and returned for an unavoidable knee surgery, and makes it a point to remind everyone that her recovery is still incomplete, and that she would be back at her best in upcoming competitions.

There is, in fact, potential for further improvement in the women’s game. This past week, both Sindhu and Nehwal were tamed by the far-fitter Okuhara. The Japanese shuttler rallied from a game down to stop Nehwal in the semi-final, and her resurgence from 17-19 in the deciding game ended Sindhu’s quest for the title. This explains why Nehwal and Sindhu dwelled regretfully on missed opportunities instead of celebrating their unprecedented show of strength on the finals podium. Interestingly, the two women are very different personalities. If Nehwal is driven by a wounded pride to establish her credentials, Sindhu, at just 22, is a sunny character looking to make the most of the time on her side, and both owe a lot to their respective coaches, U. Vimal Kumar and Pullela Gopi Chand. Yet, their combined achievements also bring into focus the fact that the next best woman shuttler in India is nowhere close to them in potential. Their heroics will, hopefully, in time draw more talent to the sport, but currently the lack of other women badminton players in their class deprives India of a fighting chance at team titles. For now, however, it is time to celebrate these two exceptional women who have enriched the game.

Vocabulary

Epic: a long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation.

Example: Happily did he write epics according to ancient rule; no one was impressed.

Synonyms: heroic poem, story, saga, legend, romance, chronicle, myth

Battle: fight or struggle tenaciously to achieve or resist something.

Example: He has been battling against the illness

Synonyms: fight, combat, contend with, resist, withstand, stand up to

Narrowest: limited in extent, amount, or scope; restricted.

Example: His ability to get good results within narrow constraints of money and manpower

Synonyms: limited, restricted, circumscribed, small, inadequate

Victorious: having won a victory; triumphant.

Example: A victorious army

Synonyms: triumphant, conquering, vanquishing, winning, champion

Gallant: a person or their behavior brave; heroic.

Example: She had made gallant efforts to pull herself together

Synonyms: brave, courageous, valiant, valorous, bold, plucky

Endurance: the fact or power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way.

Example: She was close to the limit of her endurance

Synonyms: toleration, tolerance, sufferance, forbearance, patience

Formidable: inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful, intense, or capable.

Example: A formidable opponent

Synonyms: intimidating, forbidding, daunting, disturbing, alarming

Reckon: the action or process of calculating or estimating something.

Example: Last year was not, by any reckoning, a particularly good one

Synonyms: calculation, estimation, count, computation, working out

Rivalry: competition for the same objective or for superiority in the same field.

Example: Commercial rivalry

Synonyms: competitiveness, competition, contention, vying, opposition

Nucleus: the central and most important part of an object, movement, or group, forming the basis for its activity and growth.

Example: The nucleus of a film-producing industry

Synonyms: core, center, central part, heart, nub, hub, middle, eye

Flourish: a bold or extravagant gesture or action.

Example: With a flourish , she ushered them inside

Reclaim: retrieve or recover something previously lost, given, or paid.

Example: He returned three years later to reclaim his title as director of advertising

Synonyms: get back, recoup, claim back, recover, regain, retrieve

Resurgence: an increase or revival after a period of little activity, popularity, or occurrence.

Example: A resurgence of interest in religion

Synonyms: renewal, revival, recovery, comeback, reawakening, resurrection

Deprive: deny a person or place  the possession or use of something.

Example: The city was deprived of its water supplies

Synonyms: dispossess of, strip of, divest of, relieve of, deny, rob of

Exceptional: unusual; not typical.

Example: Crimes of exceptional callousness and cruelty

Synonyms: unusual, uncommon, abnormal, atypical, extraordinary