Young guns ready to fire

It's a fast lane 23km drive from Incheon international airport to Songdo City Centre that reminds one of the fast changes that are taking place in the Indian sporting arena over the last few months.

Though there is hardly any excitement amongst the locals here for this Asian Games beginning in Incheon on Friday, there are many new names from India doing the rounds. Of Indians who have been tipped to finish on the podium and carry the country's hopes for many more years to come.

But, like many bridges and few toll gates to be negotiated before entering this neat and clean modern city, adjacent to the Korean capital city of Seoul, there are some testing times for India's new faces before replacing the likes of Sushil Kumars and Abhinav Bindras.

It was surprising to learn that demand for ticket sales for Friday's opening ceremony and many events following it are low and about 40 per cent of the tickets are still up for grabs. Also, there are hardly any Indian supporter to be seen here, unlike many other parts of the world. But there are expectations here that a good show in the initial days by Indian athletes could attract a large number of tourists during this September 19 to October 4 sports extravaganza.

Incheon has the money and resources to surprise many like the show witnessed 28 years back in Seoul. Incheon was not even heard of when Seoul held one of the most successful Olympic Games of modern times in 1988. But, this port city took hardly any time to establish itself as a hub of goods traffic.

New faces like shooter Jitu Rai, wrestlers Amit Kumar, Babita Phogat, Vinesh Phogat and weightlifter Satish Shivalingham have already shown their mettle by winning gold medals in the recent Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

It is like how the world sports order has changed from the time the South Korean city Busan last hosted the Games in 2002, till China showcased their sporting muscle, first in Beijing (2008 Olympics) and then during the 2010 Guangzhou Asiad.

Shuttler PV Sindhu, 3,000m steeplechase runner Lalita Babbar, compound archer Abhishek Verma, triple jumper Arpinder Singh, 400m runner MR Poovamma, boxers Devendro Singh, Shiva Thapa and Mandeep Jhangra, gymnast Dipa Karmakar, rower Swarn Singh, and 10m air rifle shooters Apurvi Chandela and Ayonika Paul have to show the kind of fire they are carrying inside their bellies in order to inspire the changing Indian sporting generation.

The new Indian athletes are already loving the sea breeze and pleasant weather here. One can see athletes, officials and support staff walking along the modern restaurants and coffee shops in the hub of the city after completing their day's tough schedule.

"The weather is so good. I hope our team will have more energy in this weather during the Games and we'll all be able to give our 100 per cent to win big medals here," said the Indian women's hockey forward Rani Rampal on the eve of the Opening Ceremony on Thursday.

The night temperature dips to a low of 17 degrees Celsius, which will even make night matches under floodlight more interesting.

The Games could well decide the fate of hockey coach Terry Walsh and the team's performance director Roelant Oltmans. Winning gold medal and putting aside the worries of Rio Olympic Games qualification could well be the only answer for Indian hockey team to silence its critics. No excuses will be accepted as hockey has been provided the best possible inputs in the form of foreign coaches, physios, doctors and also a video analyst.

The Indian team enjoyed a free day on Wednesday after a gruelling three-day schedule while the women's team also had light drills to keep the rhythm going. The Dutchman spoke to dna about the weather in Incheon and how the new rules of four quarters could well make things better for Team India.

"In the earlier system of two halves, the European countries who are physically stronger than us had an edge. But in the new format, the skill could well play better role and our players can stay on the turf for a longer duration," said Oltmans.

The women's team, too, is eyeing gold and a direct qualification, but its journey is far tougher than their male counterparts. "China, Korea and Malaysia are all tough teams here. But we are focussing more on group games right now. See, the new rule can work both ways," said 19-year-old Indian forward Rani Rampal. "It's tougher because the game is faster and more demanding on the body. It's easier because earlier, we used to play 35 minutes without a break, now we play 15 minutes and then there's a two-minute break. The total playing time has decreased too, to 60 minutes."

India had their most successful Asian Games show four years back in Guangzhou winning 14 gold medals. The hopes of improving medal haul at Incheon may not be that great but the 516 athletes and 163 coaches and support staff here are not leaving any stone unturned to make it an unforgettable Games.

DID YOU KNOW?
In the 2010 Asian Games at Guangzhou in China, India won a total of 65 medals -- 14 gold, 17 silver and 34 bronze -- a month after a record haul of 101, including 38 gold, in the Commonweath Games held in New Delhi

Opening ceremony
Live on: Ten Sports at 3.30 pm