Paris Olympics 2024: Top medal winning prospects for India

India has sent its biggest contingent to take part in the Paris Olympics later this year in 2024. India has been improving in different sports over the years. In a lot of sports, India has been at the top and has a genuine chance of winning medals in the coming Olympics. In most cases, with better the number of players and teams in the contingent, the better is the chance of winning the medals in the event.

India has players and teams who have been in great form in the lead-up to the Olympics. It is good news for India as one can expect good success from the athletes. In the previous Olympics in Tokyo, which happened in 2021, India achieved its greatest-ever medal haul in an Olympic event. The expectations are that the contingent would better its own record and achieve the first-ever haul of winning ten or more medals as a contingent.

There are good chances of India achieving its goal. There are some very good athletes and teams across different sports who are capable of winning medals for India. While some of them are capable of winning gold medals, others are capable of winning silver and bronze medals. Only time will tell if they can achieve the eventual glory. However, the form and recent performances point at them having a good chance to claim a podium finish.

Here are the top medal-winning prospects for India in the Paris Olympics 2024:

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty

This has been easily the best Indian doubles pair in Badminton. Over the years, the duo has been able to perform well against the best players in the world. In major tournaments, they have emerged victorious. In the process, the duo has now become the number-one ranked men's doubles pair. Recently, the pair won the French Open 2024. They have also made it to the final in three consecutive tours.

The world number one pair had a tough draw in Tokyo and could not qualify for the knockouts. This time, given their higher rankings, the pair could get a better draw. One can expect them to bring the gold medal for India. They have a good chance of claiming a podium finish. The duo has a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. An Olympic gold medal would be a cherry on top of their resume.

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PV Sindhu

PV Sindhu has not been in good form in the last year or so. However, she has shown promises of returning to form under the guidance of the legendary Prakash Padukone. 

She has been the flagbearer of Indian Badminton over the years. If anything, Sindhu steps up at the big stage like the World Championship and the Olympics. The experienced player has done it quite a few times in her illustrious career. 

In Rio De Janeiro, Sindhu won the silver medal and went down to Carolina Marin of Spain. In Tokyo, Sindhu won the Bronze medal and became the first Indian women's athlete to win two medals in different years. She now has a good chance to become the first Indian individual player to win medals in three different games. The key for Sindhu would be to practice hard and gain momentum before the Olympics.

Men's hockey team

The Indian hockey team has shown massive improvement over the years. From being ranked outside the top ten in the last decade to being in the top three currently, India has come a long way. Since 2018, India has constantly become better as a team. The rise of players like Manpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Hardik Singh, and several other players has been a crucial factor.

The system seems good and tailor-made for success. It led to India's first Olympic medal in the sport since the 1980 Moscow Olympics. In the Asian Games 2022, India was not challenged. However, the key for India would be to overcome teams like Australia, the Netherlands, and Belgium. A podium finish is expected from the Indian team who are ranked third in the world at this point.

Nikhat Zareen

After being deemed the favourite to win the gold medal in the Asian Games in her weight category of 51 kg, Nikhat has fallen off the radar a bit. However, she has everything it takes to win a medal at the Olympics. Zareen has been one of the few Indian boxers to win multiple gold medals in the World Championship. She did it back to back in 2022 and 2023, in Istanbul and Delhi respectively, and made a name for herself.

In 2024, Nikhat has a stiff challenge. However, she is too good to not return without a medal. Boxing is one such event in which results can be unexpected due to the opinions of the judges, which is often questioned by the participants. While her result in the Asian Games 2023 was controversial due to the judgment errors, Paris will be aiming to display a better quality of judging later this year.

Aditi Ashok

Aditi Ashok has performed well in Golf in the last few years. The Bengalurian missed a podium finish in Tokyo by a whisker. At one point in the final, Aditi seemed to even claim the gold medal. Till the final day, Aditi was in the first position. She however fell to the fourth place due to a difficult trap. The youngster landed herself in trouble and couldn't get over it. 2021 was a heartbreak for Aditi.

2023 was better for her as she was able to win the gold medal in the Asian Games. Aditi is one of the best women's golfers in the world. India would be expecting a medal from her hoping to see her on the podium after the games. Aditi would be motivated to change things after what happened to her in Tokyo. The key would be to stay calm at the highest level and let her skills do the talking. 

Neeraj Chopra

Neeraj Chopra set the internet on fire when he won the gold medal in Tokyo in 2020. It was the first-ever medal in Athletics for India in the Olympics. Since then, there has been immense hype for the Javelin thrower. He has gotten better since then. Despite not being able to have a throw of over 90 meters, Chopra seems to be an athlete who can succeed in difficult conditions.

In Tokyo, the conditions were not favourable for longer throws. That was where Chopra showed his class and grabbed the gold medal. This time around, the challenge will be huge, given that there are many throwers who have a better personal best than Neeraj. Paris is likely to have favourable conditions for long throws. It is interesting to see if Neeraj can defend his medal. Even a podium finish would be a great result.

Men's 4×400m relay team

Men's 4×400m relay team has come of age in the last few months. In the World Championship in 2023, the Indian team set the new national and Asian record in the heats by having a timing of under three minutes. At one point, it seemed as if they were going to challenge the American team themselves. The team has been doing fantastic since then.

They won the gold medal in the Asian Games 2023. After having a well-deserved break, the team is back to doing hard yards for the big event. If the team can pull off its best performance to date, which is very much possible given their improvement, there is a good chance of a podium finish for India. The key would be the fitness and coordination between the players.

Mirabai Chanu

Mirabai Chanu became the first Indian weightlifter to win a silver medal in Tokyo. In her weight category, Chanu has a big challenge from the Chinese who have been a big hurdle on her way to glory. However, Chanu has been doing well on both clean and jerk, and snatch. The momentum of the athlete will be crucial when she takes part in Paris. Mirabai needs some time to get totally fit.

Given her success in 2020, Chanu will be under pressure. But that is where she would fancy her chances to perform. In the Asian Games 2023, Mirabi had to pull out due to an injury while being in action. She has a good chance to compensate for the loss. The Manipur-based athlete would love to have a podium finish in Paris to become the first Indian to win a weightlifting medal in multiple Olympic events.

Sift Kaur Samra

Sift Kaur Samra is one of the brightest prospects for India to win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics 2024. The 22-year-old holds the world record in the category of 50-meter air rifle and starts as the favourite in the same. Ahead of the marquee event, the youngster is composed and unfazed about the expectations to perform. At the highest stage, she has the mindset and attitude to succeed. Samra has everything it takes to be an Olympic champion.

In the Asian Games 2023, she won the gold medal by setting a world record. In the selection trials for the Olympics, she again topped the event and showed why she can be trusted. Sift is confident in handling the pressure when it matters the most. If Sift can win a medal, it can be historic for India, as she will become the first Indian woman to claim a medal in Shooting at an Olympic event.

Manu Bhaker

Manu Bhaker has achieved a lot at a very young age. Be it winning gold medals in multiple world championships in various categories or winning Asian Games gold medals, she has been at the helm of things on many occasions. Unfortunately, the Olympics have not been a good experience for the young shooter. In 2021, she returned to India empty-handed despite being ranked number one in her category.

Ten meters and 25 meters seem to be her stronghold. Manu needs to replicate her success at the world championships in the Olympics. There is a need to handle pressure better. India has a lot of good shooters. Bhaker is one of them who seems bright enough to claim a medal. Bhaker also has a chance to win a medal in team events. It is to be seen if she can win her maiden medal in the Olympics.