India, Sept. 23 -- As the barbell bounced in front of her after the lift that guaranteed an Asian Games medal, a slight smile lit up Mirabai Chanu's face. As the world seemingly stood still around her after the shot that slipped up another Asian Games medal, a wry smile slid behind Manu Bhaker's face.

Some 70 kilometers apart at Aichi-Nagoya on Wednesday, between these two spectrums of emotion lay a common thread: an athlete's unrelenting quest to fill in the blanks of an otherwise bold and beautiful CV.

These two, mind you, are among the finest in India's sporting history, with Olympic, World Championships, Asian Championships and Commonwealth Games medals to flaunt. One continued her hunt at these Asian Games - an individual medal for...