Top Indian contenders for Podium finish at Paris Olympics 2024

In less than a fortnight the Paris Olympics 2024 will be declared open. Mahakumbh because the world’s best will compete and try their best for a podium finish. 10500(estimated count) athletes are expected and for the first time split will be 50% men and 50% women.

From an Indian perspective, a total of 113 athletes(as of now) will compete to aim for ultimate glory. We are growing as a sports nation so there will be an improvement in performances across events and some heartbreaks as well because of the fear of failure that’s part of our Indian culture.

Speculations are going about the count which we can get this time in Paris. The majority are hoping for a double-digit count which will be a very significant landmark to achieve and going forward will give optimism to the next set of players as well.

Also Read: Paris Olympics 2024: A First-of-Its-Kind River Spree for the Opening Ceremony

Let’s have a look at possible medal contenders from contingent

1. Neeraj Chopra (Athletics, Javelin throw): Many say about him “the most confident Indian athlete ever seen”. Post the historic Gold at the Tokyo Olympics, he has been consistent with his performances. In the last event he competed in June month, clinched gold with an impressive shot of 87.58 meters.

Currently, he is preparing in Germany and looks determined to replicate the feat of winning back-to-back Olympic medals. He is tipped to get the gold by many but faces strong competition from Jacub Vadlejch, Arshad Nadeem, Julian Webber, and Max Dehning. All four have breached 90 meters and Neeraj’s personal best is 89.94 meters. He always looks for consistency in his throws and if he can achieve that result will take care of itself.

2. Satwiksairaj Renkireddy & Chirag Shetty (Badminton Men’s Doubles): Sat-Chi as they are called have been very consistent and on a upward curve. Missed out quarterfinal place in Tokyo after winning 2/3 matches because of losing a game more Both played pivotal roles in India’s maiden Thomas Cup victory. They won a historic gold at the Asian Games last year where it is said that competition is more difficult than the Olympics.

Currently ranked third they have been pretty consistent over the last couple of years and will be eying for a podium place.

3. Nikhat Zareen (Boxing): Two-time world champion set to make her Olympics debut. Quietly confident in her abilities has grown leaps and bounds. Bronze in the last Asian games was a step forward and in her recent competition came out victorious. Her skillset has caught the eyes of many and if she can hold her nerves she is a best bet for success.

4. Lovlina Borgohain (Boxing): Bronze at the Tokyo Olympics and her reach in landing punches was a treat to watch. She is currently ranked 4 and a strong contender at Paris 2024. Very few have been able to achieve the feat of winning consecutive medals at the Olympics and she would be eager to not only win it for the second consecutive time but also to change the colour of the medal.

5. Men’s Hockey Team: The 41-year wait ended with a bronze at Tokyo and the viewership of Hockey increased. Harmanpreet and Sreejesh will lead the contingent in Paris fully aware that they will be followed very closely because of expectations this time. Aggressive start, incisive passes, penalty corner conversions and most importantly defence inside D particularly the last 7 minutes of the game which often has given numerous heartbreaks. Today’s fast paced hockey team can make comebacks in the last few minutes as well and the Indian team should be mentally prepared for both scenarios.

6. Aditi Ashok (Golf): She impressed at Rio 2016 & fell agonisingly short at Tokyo 2020 by securing 4th place.Secured 2024 Olympic participation with a world ranking of 60. With her performances in the last two Olympics, she is a prospect for India. Despite not being in top form this season, she would like to go one step further and secure a historic medal for India.

7. P V Sindhu (Badminton): Medal in Paris would make her India’s most successful Olympian with three medals. The form leading up to the Olympics has been below-par and despite all this because of her experience, she is one of the best bets to win a medal for India. If her training and fitness perfectly fit then she should have a good crack at the podium finish.

8. Mirabai Chanu: She couldn’t cross the China mania but still earned a respectable Silver at Tokyo. Post that her journey has been everything but smooth full of injuries. Yet she remains a genuine medal prospect for her weight category. She will be going to France to get acclimatized and give a final push for her aim of securing another podium finish. Good showing in snatch & she could break the China mania as well and go on to win the gold medal.

9. Wrestling: The fiasco that started in January 2023 has been a big setback. Not only did it present a sorry state but many expected names had to face the consequences of it. Olympic medal winners like Bajrang Punia and Ravi Kumar Dahiya could not even qualify for Paris 2024. As things stand we have 6 players (5 female & 1 male) to compete and it is a freestyle wrestling event where we have a minimum of one medal from the last 5 Olympics. If our players can put aside all the drama and put their best foot forward we can get one or maybe two medals with Antim/Vinesh as the one who is looking likely to get a podium finish.

10. Shooting: The last two Olympics have been a big disappointment and shooters have been found wanting when it comes to pressure shooting. This time in Paris a total of 21 shooters will compete for 27 medals. Can they keep their nerves and shoot well in both qualification and final rounds that will be a huge challenge for all the shooters. Sift Kaur Samra is a world record holder in 50MR3 and should be the one to be counted but can she break the hoodoo of the last two Olympics and be on the podium which makes a path for others that can be emulated? If 40 percent can find their shooting boots then we are in for the best-ever Olympics.

There will be 1 or 2 surprises possibly in Men’s Singles badminton (Lakshya/Prannoy), and Archery (Dhiraj Bomba Devara).

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