At the Paris Olympics, there are several disciplines in which India will be represented by just one or a few athletes. Some of them have a chance to win medals, while most will compete to give their best at the biggest sporting event. Let’s take a look at the athletes in these disciplines.
Weightlifting
Mirabaï Chanu (photo above), who won a silver medal for India on the opening day of the Tokyo Olympics, will be participating in his third consecutive Games. Despite recent injuries, she has recovered well from a hip injury she suffered during last year’s Asian Games. She is determined to repeat her performance in the women’s 49 kg category in Paris.
In April, Mirabai returned to competition at the IWF World Cup at 184 kg after a five-month injury layoff. To win a medal at the Olympics, she will have to lift more than 200 kg. Even if the Chinese Hou Zhihui is one of the big favorites for gold, the competition for the two remaining medals should be tough between four athletes: Mirabai, the Thai Surodchana Khambao, the American Jourdan Elizabeth Delacruz and the Romanian Mihaela- Valentina Cambei, all of whom are capable of lifting around 200 kg.
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Mirabai’s main concern is to avoid further injuries to have a chance of winning her second Olympic medal on August 7.
Tennis
Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna, a top 10 doubles star, will be a key attraction at the Stade Roland Garros. Earlier this year, Bopanna, the oldest man to win a Grand Slam, triumphed at the Australian Open with partner Matthew Ebden. He chose Sriram Balaji as his partner, considering Balaji’s expertise on clay and his style of play, which can complement that of Bopanna. Another member of the tennis team is singles player Sumit Nagal, who has shown good form in previous Grand Slam tournaments and achieved a career-best world ranking of 71. Nagal also ensured his place at the Olympics for the second time after winning the title. Heilbronn Challenger and reaching the final of another Challenger event in Perugia.
Age without bar: Rohan Bopanna became the oldest man to win a Grand Slam title as he and partner Mathew Ebden won the Australian Open men’s doubles title in January this year. | Photo credit: AP
Age without bar: Rohan Bopanna became the oldest man to win a Grand Slam title as he and partner Mathew Ebden won the Australian Open men’s doubles title in January this year. | Photo credit: AP
The Indians will be in action between July 27 and August 4.
Golf
FILE PHOTO: India’s Aditi Ashok in action. | Photo credit: Getty Images
FILE PHOTO: India’s Aditi Ashok in action. | Photo credit: Getty Images
India has four experienced golfers for the upcoming Olympics, including two men (Shubhankar Sharma and Gaganjeet Bhullar) and two women (Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar). Aditi, competing in her third Olympics, is expected to perform well after finishing fourth at the Tokyo Games. With seven professional titles and an Asian Games silver medal under her belt, she is determined to improve her performances and make history.
Deaflympic gold medalist and two-time Ladies European Tour winner Diksha will also draw on her Tokyo Games experience to excel at the upcoming event. Sharma and Bhullar, both holders of multiple professional victories, are expected to adapt well to the competitive environment of the Games.
The competition will feature stars such as Scottie Scheffler and Rory Mcllroy on the men’s side and Nelly Korda and Lilia Vu on the women’s side. The men’s event will begin on August 1 and the women’s on August 7.
Veil
FILE PHOTO: India’s Nethra Kumanan in action. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
FILE PHOTO: India’s Nethra Kumanan in action. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
Vishnu Saravanan and Nethra Kumanan will take part in the men’s and women’s single-seater dinghy events respectively in the waters of Marseille. Both will be participating in their second Olympic Games. Races 1 to 10 are scheduled for August 1, while the medal race will take place on August 7.
Swimming
Srihari Natraj and Dhinidhi Desinghu, a 14-year-old girl, were selected to represent India under the universality quota. Srihari (men’s 100m backstroke) will be competing in his second Olympics, while Dhinidhi (women’s 200m freestyle) is all set to make her debut. Their series is scheduled for July 28.
Equestrian
Anush Agarwalla, a member of the Asian Games gold medal-winning team and individual bronze medalist in dressage, will be the only rider from the country. His event will take place on July 30, 31 and August 4.
Rowing
Balraj Panwar will be the only Indian representative in rowing. He will compete in the men’s single scull category from July 27.
Judo
Commonwealth Games silver medalist Tulika Maan, competing in the women’s over 78kg category, will be the only Indian judoka at the Games. She will be seen in action on August 1st.
