Exactly 50 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, preparation so far has been reasonably good, and 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 can 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 Tokyo 2020. That’s where things have changed, and we see real impact. And that’s what gives me hope that Paris could indeed be better than Tokyo.
It has never happened before in Olympic sport that India has consistently done well in world competitions. It is now regularly happening in shooting, badminton, boxing, athletics and weightlifting. Even in the ongoing Munich World Cup, Indian shooters have won a gold and made multiple finals. India has already won a record number of Olympic quotas in shooting, and chances are the sport will redeem itself after Rio and Tokyo.
In Sift Kaur Samra, India has one of the most promising shooters in the world. Sift has already broken a world record and won gold medals at multiple world competitions. Some others who have been in stellar form are Sarabjot Singh, Aishwary Tomar, Arjun Babuta, Esha Singh and Manu Bhaker. Manu has left the Tokyo disappointment behind, and is now a far more consistent shooter than before. 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 leaf and leave the disappointment of Tokyo behind.
While many feel apprehensive about the ongoing slump in badminton, except for the stellar show from Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, there is no doubt Pullela Gopichand, the national coach, has a clear plan in mind for Paris. 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 to win a big medal for India. Any one among HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen or PV Sindhu could also do the job in Paris and I, for one, wouldn’t be surprised if Sindhu surprised everyone with a late surge.
The other athlete who has a real chance is Mirabai Chanu. Not only is she injury free, she is mentally getting there under coach Vijay Sharma. Having won multiple medals in international competitions, Mirabai will not be overawed by the occasion in Paris.
For the Latest Sports News: Click Here
The one sport where we see struggle is wrestling. While the crop of female wrestlers led by Antim Panghal has come up well and can challenge global stars, it has to be seen what talented wrestlers like Aman Sehrawat do at the games. With luck on their side, one of them could end up on the podium in France. And, may I say, it would be foolish to write Vinesh Phogat off.
In Nikhat Zareen, India have 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 one of us if she goes the distance in Paris. Youngsters like Jaismine Lamboria can never be ruled out, and she will want to have a crack at an Olympic medal at an early stage in her career.
The biggest medal hope, needless to say, remains Neeraj Chopra. Back-to-back Olympic medals could propel Chopra to be India’s best ever, and with him, nothing is impossible. With admirable discipline and commitment, Chopra is now in the league of the world’s best and it would be a big surprise if he isn’t on the podium.
Finally, we expect good things from hockey with Craig Fulton shaping a formidable team under captain Harmanpreet Singh.
What is of the essence now is to stay in the present. Do the last few things right and get into Olympic mode. 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 will go a long way to transforming Indian sports going forward. 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 in the last 50 days going into Paris.
Finally, we are launching our Olympics coverage today on all RevSportz platforms with an exclusive show featuring hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh and first rusher Amit Rohidas, which has been supported by Tata Steel. Over the next 50 days, there will be several such exclusive shows across all our platforms as we build to the world’s greatest sporting spectacle.
Also Read: Imperfect finish for Sunil Chhetri, the ice-cool finisher