As Paris is ready to host its third Olympics after a century, the 117 Indian athletes are gearing up earnestly to increase the country’s medal count in the post-COVID Games, kicking off on the banks of the majestic river Seine on July 26. When the pandemic-delayed Olympics were staged behind closed doors in Tokyo three years ago, India claimed seven medals to record its best-ever tally. With the country aiming to bid for the 2036 Games, it is understandable that the government, pumping in money into sports promotion, is optimistic about double-digit medals. World and Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is the brightest medal contender for India. The second Indian individual gold medallist after shooter Abhinav Bindra, he is fourth among the leading throwers this season with a mark of 88.36m. To bolster his legendary status, he must perform at his peak and overcome several elite competitors. Shuttler P.V. Sindhu, the only Indian woman with two Olympic medals, will seek to overcome a slump and bag an unprecedented third medal. The other two individual medallists from Tokyo, weightlifter Mirabai Chanu and boxer Lovlina Borgohain will also look to secure second consecutive medals and make history. Mirabai, the women’s 49kg silver medallist, has recovered from a hip injury and needs to perform at her best to register a 200kg-plus total for a podium finish. Lovlina, a 69kg Tokyo bronze medallist, will try to live up to her current status — the 75kg World champion.
Another World champion boxer Nikhat Zareen (50kg), former Worlds silver medallist Amit Panghal (51kg), Worlds bronze medallist wrestler Antim Panghal (53kg) and two-time bronze medallist Vinesh Phogat (50kg), who was a prominent face during the wrestlers’ protest, World No.3 men’s doubles badminton pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be some of the names expected to contribute to the medal kitty. Altogether, 21 shooters have qualified this time and will be determined to end Indian shooting’s flop show in the last two Olympics. Pistol shooters Manu Bhaker, Anish Bhanwala, and rifle shooters Sift Kaur Samra and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar hold much promise. The Indian hockey team, which ended a 41-year medal drought in Tokyo by landing a bronze, will hope to excel under new coach Craig Fulton and repeat its glorious performance in Tokyo. An improved medals tally in Paris would lift the country’s profile as a sporting nation and help build the momentum for India’s aspirations to embrace the Olympic movement in the near future.
