The Paris Olympics 2024 is hardly more than a month away and the Indian contingent is gearing up firmly for the major summer event. In the past few days, across numerous sports events, many athletes have salvaged their qualification for the Olympics.
In boxing, Jaismine Lamboria recently got added to the Indian contingent as the sixth boxer, while in Equestrian, Anush Agarwalla from Kolkata, will be making his debut at the big event. However, today, we won’t be discussing about individuals but rather speak about the nation as a whole.
So, let’s dive deep into the top five sports events at the Paris Olympics 2024, in which India can secure a medal.
#1 Javelin (Athletics)
India will be represented by Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Jena at the men’s Javelin throw in Olympics. The former needs no introduction, as he is one of the most decorated athletes in the country at this moment. The 26-year-old has already won gold at the major event back in 2020, and in 2022, he secured his personal best of 89.94m, which also is the national record.
Kishore Jena, on the other hand, might have stunned Neeraj Chopra in 2023, when he bagged the silver in the Hangzhou Asian Games. His 87.54m throw was just short of his idol, Chopra’s national record. As the Paris games knock on the doors, both of them will look to write a new chapter for India’s track and field athletics.
#2 Badminton
India have an ‘almost’ star-studded lineup when it comes to Badminton. The nation will be represented in the singles event by HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, PV Sindhu while the doubles will witness Ashwini Ponnappa-Tanisha Crasto and Satwiksairaj Reddy-Chirag Shetty in action.
Both Prannoy and Lakshya were part of the gold-winning team of the 2022 Thomas Cup. Speaking of PV Sindhu, the former Olympics silver-medalist didn’t enjoy a good 2023 calendar year and will be vying for glory in the upcoming edition. Her recent achievement includes a gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The duos of Ashwini-Tanisha and Sat-Chi are perhaps heavy contenders for a medal too. The latter along with Sindhu, will aim to do well in the upcoming competitions, to hone their skills ahead of the Summer Olympics.
#3 Shooting
Shooting has always been a stronghold of India, as it has brought the country quite a number of medals in the past. The most memorable one, however, is that of Abhinav Bindra, when he bagged gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The selection is still under process and the contingent will be updated once the entire quote is fulfilled.
#4 Weightlifting
All eyes will be on Indian stalwart, Padma Shri and Khel Ratna awardee Mirabai Chanu, who has a reputation of bringing home gold medals, irrespective of the competition’s status. Chanu, who will be participating in the Women’s 49 kg category, is a top favorite to win gold this time, after narrowly missing out on the same in 2020.
#5 Wrestling
The sport has enjoyed the limelight in the Indian subcontinent for all the wrong reasons in the past few months or so. The Paris Olympics is the time for Vinesh Phogat and Co. to make sure that the war that began with the federation on home soil, ends in heroic fashion in Paris.
