It is about time that you have a fair idea of your medal hopefuls at the quadrennial celebration of sports we call the Olympics. With Tokyo 2020 over a year away and qualifiers and quota events well underway, here's a peak into India's medal hopefuls as they stand.
Archery
Deepika Kumari is still our best bet and what a fairytale that would be if the two-time Olympian and former world number one is able to keep her tryst with an Olympic medal at Tokyo. A prodigious talent she played her first Olympics at the age of 17 and after having humbling experiences at both her Olympic appearances, she showed glimpses of becoming a hardened pro with her World Cup Gold over a classy field at Salt Lake City last year. If anyone can take on the might of the Koreans and Taiwanese and Russians and Chinese among others, it is she.
Athletics
Well K.T. Irfan the workhorse race-walker from Kerala, became the first Indian athlete to qualify for Tokyo 2020, which automatically qualifies him as a 'hopeful' however he has to deliver super-human improvement in his timings if he has to even think of a podium finish. But Irfan is an honest athlete and we wish him all the best. Neeraj Chopra and Hima Das are the only two serious medal contenders as things and their respective throws and timings stand. If comparisons are made with the previous Olympics, then it is certainly an improvement for Indian athletics, but still one would like to believe, not good enough.
Badminton
This has to be the biggest shock as after a brilliant decade of upswing, sudden stagnation has stepped in to Indian badminton and on current form, India is looking at only one medal hopeful in the form of P.V. Sindhu, who incidentally was also the sole medal winner last time around. One would have thought that Tokyo 2020 would have seen an Indian badminton squad full of world beaters and multiple medal hopefuls, but it is not to be certainly as far as Tokyo is concerned.
Shooting
Shooting, on current form and results has to be the brightest hope for a medal at Tokyo for India. Cynics would say, so was it last time around and we all know that the Shooting squad came back empty-handed, however in the practical world of sports you cannot discount consistent world beating performances and high world rankings. Indian shooters currently hold three world records in Olympic events and that is, beside being unprecedented for the sport in India, no mean feat. Apurvi Chandela, Saurabh Chaudhary and Angad Sir Singh Bajwa are the athletes holding them and if you add someone like the classy Anjum Moudgil to the mix, there is no reason why India cannot renew its date with an Olympic medal in Shooting.
Weightlifting
Mirabai Chanu will take forward a long regional tradition and given a self-imposed Olympics ban by Thailand, is the lone and foremost medal hopeful for India in the sport in Tokyo. A former world champion, which means she knows how to win on the big stage and having shifted seamlessly into a higher weight category, this 24-year old from Manipur looks good for an Olympic podium, all other factors working for her till D-Day.
Wrestling
Those in the know swear by woman wrestler Vinesh Phogat, however on current form only Bajrang Punia ticks all the boxes of an Olympic medal hopeful. Consistent over two world championships spread over five years and having won medals at almost every top level competition, the 25-year old world number 1 in his 65 Kg category from Jhajjar, Haryana, looks a prime contender for an Olympic medal. He has not only improved technically but has also displayed the right frame of mind to put it across any opponent on a wrestling mat. With a solid pedigree and support system to back him, his medal seems a certainty if ever the term can be used for sport.
Given the situation, an improvement over Rio 2016 is what India should be realistically targeting come Tokyo 2020.
Archery
Deepika Kumari is still our best bet and what a fairytale that would be if the two-time Olympian and former world number one is able to keep her tryst with an Olympic medal at Tokyo. A prodigious talent she played her first Olympics at the age of 17 and after having humbling experiences at both her Olympic appearances, she showed glimpses of becoming a hardened pro with her World Cup Gold over a classy field at Salt Lake City last year. If anyone can take on the might of the Koreans and Taiwanese and Russians and Chinese among others, it is she.
Athletics
Well K.T. Irfan the workhorse race-walker from Kerala, became the first Indian athlete to qualify for Tokyo 2020, which automatically qualifies him as a 'hopeful' however he has to deliver super-human improvement in his timings if he has to even think of a podium finish. But Irfan is an honest athlete and we wish him all the best. Neeraj Chopra and Hima Das are the only two serious medal contenders as things and their respective throws and timings stand. If comparisons are made with the previous Olympics, then it is certainly an improvement for Indian athletics, but still one would like to believe, not good enough.
Badminton
This has to be the biggest shock as after a brilliant decade of upswing, sudden stagnation has stepped in to Indian badminton and on current form, India is looking at only one medal hopeful in the form of P.V. Sindhu, who incidentally was also the sole medal winner last time around. One would have thought that Tokyo 2020 would have seen an Indian badminton squad full of world beaters and multiple medal hopefuls, but it is not to be certainly as far as Tokyo is concerned.
Shooting
Shooting, on current form and results has to be the brightest hope for a medal at Tokyo for India. Cynics would say, so was it last time around and we all know that the Shooting squad came back empty-handed, however in the practical world of sports you cannot discount consistent world beating performances and high world rankings. Indian shooters currently hold three world records in Olympic events and that is, beside being unprecedented for the sport in India, no mean feat. Apurvi Chandela, Saurabh Chaudhary and Angad Sir Singh Bajwa are the athletes holding them and if you add someone like the classy Anjum Moudgil to the mix, there is no reason why India cannot renew its date with an Olympic medal in Shooting.
Weightlifting
Mirabai Chanu will take forward a long regional tradition and given a self-imposed Olympics ban by Thailand, is the lone and foremost medal hopeful for India in the sport in Tokyo. A former world champion, which means she knows how to win on the big stage and having shifted seamlessly into a higher weight category, this 24-year old from Manipur looks good for an Olympic podium, all other factors working for her till D-Day.
Wrestling
Those in the know swear by woman wrestler Vinesh Phogat, however on current form only Bajrang Punia ticks all the boxes of an Olympic medal hopeful. Consistent over two world championships spread over five years and having won medals at almost every top level competition, the 25-year old world number 1 in his 65 Kg category from Jhajjar, Haryana, looks a prime contender for an Olympic medal. He has not only improved technically but has also displayed the right frame of mind to put it across any opponent on a wrestling mat. With a solid pedigree and support system to back him, his medal seems a certainty if ever the term can be used for sport.
Given the situation, an improvement over Rio 2016 is what India should be realistically targeting come Tokyo 2020.
