In exactly 365 days from today, all eyes will be on Paris as it hosts the games of the 33rd Summer Olympiad. And for the first time in years, India, it gives me pleasure to write, looks to be well prepared. While things can change either way a year from now, the preparation so far has been reasonably good. If things go right, Paris promises to be the best Olympics in Indian sporting history, with the country touching the coveted double-digit-medal mark.
To predict the number of medals India could win is somewhat irrational. But suffice to say, the number of possible medal winners and the number of disciplines India is now equipped to mount a challenge in has increased since Rio 2016. That’s where things changed, and we are now seeing the real impact. And that’s what gives me hope that Paris could indeed be better than Tokyo.
It has never happened before that India has done consistently well in global competitions. That is now happening regularly in shooting, badminton, boxing, athletics and even weightlifting. Even in the ongoing Junior World Championship, Indian shooters have won a number of medals and broken multiple records in the process. India has already won a significant number of Olympic quotas in shooting, and chances are that more will be won in the next few months.
In Rudranksh Patil, India has one of the most promising shooters in the world. Rudra has already broken his own world record multiple times, and has won gold medals at World Championships and World Cups. With mixed-gender events now a permanent fixture at the Olympics, Rudra could shoot India to two medals in the 10m air rifle event. Some others who have been in stellar form are Hriday Hazarika, Mehuli Ghosh and Aishwary Tomar. Mehuli has left the Tokyo disappointment behind, and is now a far more consistent shooter than she ever was. The other shooters who are more than likely to do well are Manu Bhaker, who is back with coach Jaspal Rana, and Rhythm Sangwan. Any one among these men and women could win a medal in Paris. With proper preparation, Indian shooting is all set to turn a new page in Paris, and leave the disappointment of Tokyo behind.
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While many feel apprehensive about the ongoing slump in badminton, except for the stellar show from Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, there is no doubt that Pullela Gopichand, the national coach, has a clear plan in mind for Tokyo. Not only has he started travelling with his star students, he knows when it is time to shift focus to the Olympics and start the final push. The courts in Paris, as Gopi says, will suit Satwik and Chirag and with Coach Mathias Boe also in their corner, they stand a huge chance of winning a big medal for India. Any one among HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen or Srikkanth Kidambi could also do the job in Paris and I, for one, wouldn’t be surprised if PV Sindhu surprised everyone with a late surge.
The other athlete who has a real chance is Mirabai Chanu. Not only has she been at the top of her sport for a while now, she is mentally at her best under coach Vijay Sharma. Having won multiple medals in international competitions, Mirabai will not be overawed by the occasion in Paris.
The one sport where we see struggle is wrestling. While the crop of female wrestlers led by Antim Panghal have come up well and can challenge stars like Vinesh Phogat, it has to be seen what talented wrestlers like Aman Sehrawat do at the Asian Games. With luck on their side, one of them could end up on the podium in France.
In Nikhat Zareen, India has a boxer who has always punched well in big events. Nikhat has won everything that there is to win, and it will come as no surprise to any of us if she goes the distance in Paris. Youngsters like Deepak Bhoria can never be ruled out, and will want to have a crack at an Olympic medal at an early stage in his career.
The biggest medal hope, needless to say, remains Neeraj Chopra. Back-to-back Olympic medals would undoubtedly anoint Chopra as India’s best ever, and with him, nothing is impossible. With admirable discipline and commitment, he is now in the league of the world’s best, and it would be a surprise if he didn’t make the podium. We also expect good things from Murali Sreeshankar, who has shown that he is capable of producing something stellar on his day.
What is of the essence now is to stay in the present. Do the last few things right, and get into Olympic mode from year end. There will be pressure, and it will be very important for each of our elite athletes to soak it all in and start enjoying the build-up. The Olympics come every four years, and a good performance in Paris would go a long way towards transforming Indian sport. That’s what Indian fans will be hoping for. And this time round, the hope isn’t unrealistic.
To leave the final words to Abhinav Bindra, “The Olympics don’t come every four years. They come every day.” That’s what our athletes need to remember and follow.
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