It's under one month when the 2024
Paris Olympics
will be declared open in the French Capital on July 26, as over 100 Indian athletes will try to achieve Olympic glory by finishing on the podium of the world's biggest sporting stage.
The list of Indian names who are expected to lead the country's hopes of a medal are, of course, led by the defending men's javelin throw champion
Neeraj Chopra
, who created history with the Tokyo Olympics gold, with strong hopes also attached to the 21-member shooting contingent, men's doubles badminton pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty as well as two-time boxing world champion
Nikhat Zareen
and the
men's hockey
team among others.
Here's a list of top 10 contenders from the Indian contingent that will travel to Paris:
NEERAJ CHOPRA (Athletics, javelin throw)
Neeraj is determined to etch his name in the annals of Indian sports by achieving an unprecedented feat -- securing consecutive gold medals. The last time HE competed was on June 18 at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, where he clinched the gold medal with an impressive throw of 85.97m. Currently, he is honing his skills in Germany, preparing for the upcoming challenge. Notably, Chopra has chosen not to participate in this week's Paris Diamond League, indicating that his next appearance will be directly at the Olympic Games.
SATWIKSAIRAJ RANKIREDDY & CHIRAG SHETTY (Badminton, men's doubles)
Satwik and Chirag, who last played together at the Singapore Open in May, suffered a first-round exit in the tournament. The loss has had a significant impact on their world ranking, causing them to slip from the coveted No. 1 position to No. 3. In the previous Olympics, the pair came close to securing a spot in the quarterfinals, having won two out of their three group stage matches. However, they fell short of advancing further in the competition but went on to win a historic gold medal at the Asian Games last year.
NIKHAT ZAREEN (Boxing)
Nikhat, a two-time world champion, is set to make her Olympic debut in Paris, where she will strive for even greater accomplishments. Her most recent competition was the Elorda Cup in May, where she emerged victorious. She will head to the Olympics straight from the training camp in Saarbrucken, Germany, where the boxers are undergoing a month-long training camp to further hone their skills. The young boxer's dedication and skill have already earned her significant accolades, and her participation in the Paris Olympics marks a crucial milestone in her career.
LOVLINA BORGOHAIN (Boxing)
Lovlina, who secured a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, recently participated in the Grand Prix tournament held in the Czech Republic. During the event, she faced three opponents, emerging victorious in one bout while suffering defeats in the other two. Despite the mixed results, her performance was sufficient to earn her a silver medal. Currently, Lovlina is accompanying Nikhat at the training camp in Germany,. The camp is scheduled to conclude on July 22.
MEN'S HOCKEY TEAM
Hockey India recently announced the squad that will represent the Tokyo Olympics bronze medallists in Paris. As anticipated, Harmanpreet Singh will continue to captain the side, and PR Sreejesh will be the sole goalkeeper in the squad. The men's team had a disappointing performance in the Europe leg of the Pro League, finishing seventh, ahead of only Spain and Ireland, while also slipping in the FIH rankings to number seven currently. From the ongoing national camp in Bengaluru, the Olympic squad will depart for Switzerland to participate in a team bonding camp. Prior to their arrival in Paris, they are also scheduled to engage in a few friendly matches.
VINESH PHOGAT (Wrestling)
Wrestling great Vinesh is gearing up for her upcoming participation in the Spain Grand Prix. Currently undergoing training in Bengaluru, Phogat reached out to the Sports Ministry on Tuesday, seeking assistance with her visa application process. Her request was promptly addressed, and she received her visa within a few hours. Following the competition in Spain, Vinesh has plans to travel to France for a 20-day intensive training camp as part of her preparations for the Olympic Games. Her most recent appearance was at the Budapest Ranking Series in June, where she faced a setback in the 50kg quarterfinals, losing to China's Jiang Zhu 5-0.
SIFT KAUR SAMRA (Shooting)
Sift, who clinched the gold medal at the Asian Games with a world record score, secured her spot in the Paris team for the women's 50m rifle 3 positions event following her remarkable performance in the four-stage Olympic selection trials. Last month, she participated in the Munich World Cup, where she claimed the bronze medal, narrowly missing out on the silver by 0.1 point to China's Han Jiayu.
PV SINDHU (Badminton)
Sindhu, who is presently undergoing training with her coach Agus Dwi Santoso and team in Saarbrucken, Germany, has not participated in any tournaments since the Indonesia Open last month. Her recent performances in the Singapore Open and Indonesia events have been below par, with early-round exits in both competitions. Despite this, she continues to be one of India's top prospects for a medal. A medal in Paris will make her India's most successful individual medallists with three medals, after a silver in Rio 2016 and a bronze in Tokyo 2020.
MIRABAI CHANU (Weightlifting)
Mirabai, a silver medalist from the Tokyo Olympics, has her sights set on securing another podium finish at the upcoming Paris Games. The journey since her remarkable performance in Tokyo has been challenging, as she faced setbacks due to injuries. However, she remains a top contender in her weight category for the Paris Olympics. She has been diligently training at the NIS Patiala to prepare for the competition. As part of her final preparations, Mirabai will be traveling to France next week to acclimatize to the conditions before her competition at the Games in Paris.
ADITI ASHOK (Golf)
Aditi has been selected to represent India at the Olympics for the third time. Although her participation was always expected, it was recently confirmed through the Olympic Golf Rankings. With a world ranking of 60, Aditi secured her spot in the Games by placing 24th. Despite not being in top form this season, having failed to achieve a top-10 finish, Aditi remains optimistic. She aims to not only replicate her impressive performance from the Tokyo Olympics, where she finished fourth, but also hopes to go one step further and secure a historic medal for her country.
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