Chennai gripped by Saina mania

Oct 16, 2010 |

Correspondent

The Commonwealth game amidst poor advertisement for inadequate infrastructure capability and weakened fields did enough to keep the entire nation captivated to the television sets for a fortnight. Many athletes came up with good shows but none better than the come-from-behind gold medal of Saina Nehwal.

Scenes at the Kamaraj Domestic terminal in Chennai on Friday showed how the Hyderabadi has walked into the collective consciousness of the common fan. Close to 24 hours after live action had ended, hundreds of fans were still glued to the giant screen at the airport that featured a re-run of the final.

The champion had saved a match point in the second game and the recorded version continued to have a big effect on many finger nails. “The fighting spirit she showed was amazing. It was an extraordinary effort form one of the best athletes we have ever produced,” said Aishwarya, a curious onlooker.

Many cheered when Saina neared the post and it was heartening that cheers were reserved for a sporting icon even if the art practiced was not cricket.

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