PARAGRAPH, WORDS AND MEANING
PARAGRAPH OF THE DAY –
A golden hue: On India’s CWG medals haul –
The Olympics has a global allure and the Asian Games basks in its continental spread. Compared to these two, the Commonwealth Games may look like an unflattering vestige of Britain’s colonial past. Yet there is no denying the CWG’s relevance as a stepping stone to greater sporting glory. For India, the relatively limited competition means it remains a frontrunner. This was underlined over the last fortnight at the Gold Coast in Australia, where India won 66 medals and improved on the haul of 64 from the 2014 edition at Glasgow. Importantly, the number of golds rose from 15 to 26. In wrestling, weightlifting, shooting, boxing, badminton and particularly table tennis, India dominated. There were world-class efforts from the Indians. Five-time world boxing champion Mary Kom, two-time Olympic medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar, world champion weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, 2016 world junior javelin champion Neeraj Chopra and teen shooting sensations Manu Bhaker and Anish Bhanwala produced splendidperformances to clinch gold. In badminton, the unexpected gold in the mixed team event, the much-anticipatedwomen’s final featuring P.V. Sindhu and Saina Nehwal, and the emergence of some doubles combinations were the high points. From the table tennis arena, India provided the biggest surprises. It won a medal in all seven events — an unprecedented sweep of team golds and a historic gold in the women’s singles for Manika Batra, highlighting the hard work done also by the coaching and support team. The 22-year-old Delhi player returned with four medals, including two golds, and proved to be India’s most valuable player. However, India’s reputation took a beating when A.V. Rakesh Babu and K.T. Irfan were packed off from the Games for violation of the ‘no needle’ policy after needles were found in their rooms. This aberration must not go unaddressed against the backdrop of successes of other Indian athletes. With the next Asian Games scheduled in August-September in Jakarta, Indonesia, India is expected to build on the gains from the Gold Coast. Based on the quality of recent performances, India could improve upon its 2014 tally of 11 gold, 10 silver and 36 bronze medals. Considering the Asian standards of table tennis, badminton, shooting, wrestling, weightlifting and field events in athletics, it will be over-optimistic to expect a gold haul anywhere close to what the Indians managed from the Gold Coast. Chopra, Chanu, Sushil, the badminton players in singles, besides select shooters, will hope to do well. But India will certainly try to register a better show in hockey where the men’s team will defend its Asian Games title, and automatically qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Till then, the CWG has held a mirror up to Indian sport and found a refreshing reflection.
WORDS AND MEANING –
1.Allure
Meaning: The quality of being powerfully and mysteriously attractive or fascinating.
Example: “people for whom gold holds no allure”
Synonyms: Attraction, Appeal
Antonyms: Repulsion
2.Basks
Meaning: Revel in and make the most of (something pleasing).
Example: “he went on basking in the glory of his first book”
Synonyms: Revel, Delight
3.Unflattering
Meaning: Not flattering.
Example: “the reviews of the book were very unflattering”
Synonyms: Unfavourable, Scathing
Antonyms: Flattering, Complimentary
4.Vestige
Meaning: A small part or amount of something larger, stronger, or more important that still exists from something that existed in the past.
Example: These old buildings are the last vestiges of a colonial past.
Synonyms: Things remaining
5.Relevance
Meaning: The quality or state of being closely connected or appropriate.
Example: “this film has contemporary relevance”
6.Stepping stone
Meaning: An action or event that helps one to make progress towards a specified goal.
Example: “the school championships are a stepping stone to international competition”
7.Glory
Meaning: High renown or honour won by notable achievements.
Example: “to fight and die for the glory of one’s nation”
Synonyms: Renown, Fame
Antonyms: Shame, Obscurity
8.Frontrunner
Meaning: The contestant that is leading in a race or other competition.
Example: “the front runner for the presidential nomination”
9.Splendid
Meaning: Magnificent; very impressive.
Example: “a splendid view of Windsor Castle”
Synonyms: Grand, Impressive
Antonyms: Modest, Ordinary
10.Clinch
Meaning: Confirm the winning or achievement of (a match, competition, or victory).
Example: “Johnson scored the goals which clinched victory”
Synonyms: Win, Victory
Antonyms: Lose
11.Anticipated
Meaning: To imagine or expect that something will happen.
Example: We don’t anticipate any trouble.
Synonyms: Expect, Predict
12.Unprecedented
Meaning: Never done or known before.
Example: “the government took the unprecedented step of releasing confidential correspondence”
Synonyms: Unequalled, Unmatched
Antonyms: Normal, Common
13.Packed off
Meaning: To send someone to another place.
Example: We’ve packed the kids off for the weekend.
Synonyms: Evicting
14.Aberration
Meaning: A departure from what is normal, usual, or expected, typically an unwelcome one.
Example: “they described the outbreak of violence in the area as an aberration”
Synonyms: Irregularity, Variation
15.Unaddressed
Meaning: Not considered or dealt with.
Example: “wider questions remain unaddressed”
16.Over-optimistic
Meaning: Too hopeful, or too ready to believe that good things will happen in the future.
Example: He fears that analysts are being over-optimistic about future company earnings.
17.Held a mirror up to
Meaning: Hold a mirror up to nature – Shakespeare Quotes. Literally, to hold a mirror means to put a mirror in front of someone so they can see their reflection. Metaphorically, it usually means reveal to someone what they look like to the rest of the world.
