16 Days To 2024 Summer Olympics: Tracking India's Top 6 Medal Hopes

As many as 16 days are left for the start of the much-awaited 2024 Paris Olympics. The 33rd edition of the Summer Olympic Games is set to be held in Paris from July 26 to August 11 this year. Paris Olympics 2024 will showcase 32 sports, including the 28 "core" Olympic sports and the addition of breaking, skateboarding, surfing, and sports climbing. After winning 7 medals in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, comprising 1 Gold, 2 Silver, and 4 Bronze Medals, the Indian contingent will definitely be eyeing to improve their medals tally to set up new world records in the Olympic Games history. The upcoming Olympics event will surely be one of the biggest sporting tournaments held in the last few years. In this blog piece, we look at India's top 6 medal hopes ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics scheduled to take place in Paris later this year.

16 days to 2024 Summer Olympics: Tracking India's top 6 medal hopes

With just 16 days left for the 2024 Paris Olympics, OneTurf News continues to track the progress of the country's top ten medal hopes, their recent performances, what they are currently doing, and how they are shaping up for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Here is a closer look at how India's best are doing 16 days out from the start of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

1. Neeraj Chopra

Javelin superstar Neeraj Chopra aims to make history as the first Indian athlete to win consecutive gold medals. Chopra's most recent competition was at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland on June 18, where he secured the gold medal with a best throw of 85.97m. This week's Paris Diamond League is not on his competition calendar, so the next time he takes the field will be at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Talking about Indian athletics medal prospects, Neeraj emphasized that he wasn't seriously injured and had withdrawn from the recent events as a precaution to avoid any risks in an Olympic year. However, it is a massive relief for Indian fans that Neeraj Chopra is recovering well and is all set to take the Indian Javelin forward.

2. Vinesh Phogat

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat clinched the gold medal at the Grand Prix of Spain in Madrid on Saturday. The two-time Olympian champion spectacularly finished her campaign by defeating Mariia Tiumerekova with a score of 10-5 in the women's 50kg final as part of her preparation for the 2024 Paris Games. She is in France for a 20-day training session to prepare for the Olympics. Talking about Indian wrestling medal prospects, Vinesh Phogat is headed to her third Summer Olympic Games. It was recently confirmed that she will compete in the 50kg category, which is one weight class lower than where she competed in the Tokyo Olympics.

3. PV Sindhu

PV Sindhu was one of the Indian flag bearers during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. PV Sindhu will lead a seven-member Indian badminton team at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Sindhu will be the only shuttler in the women's singles category, finishing 12th in the Race to Paris Rankings. If Sindhu wins a medal in Paris, she will become India's most successful Olympian with three medals.

4. Mirabai Chanu

Mirabai Chanu is aiming to step onto the Olympic podium once again in Paris, following her outstanding performance in Tokyo, which earned her a silver medal. Since her success in Tokyo, Mirabai has faced a challenging journey due to injuries. Nevertheless, she is one of the top contenders in her category in Paris and believes she can make it to the podium if she lifts between 200 and 210 kgs. She has been training at NIS Patiala and will go to France next week to acclimate to the conditions before her big competition.

5. Sift Kaur Samra

Sift Kaur Samra, the Asian Games gold medalist, secured her spot in the Paris squad for the women's 50m rifle 3 positions after an exceptional performance in the four-stage Olympic selection trials. She participated in the Munich World Cup last month, winning the bronze medal. She missed the silver by only 0.1 points to Han Jiayu of China. She recently completed a national training camp in France and will compete next at the Gun shooting games in the Olympics.

6. Lovlina Borgohain

Lovlina Borgohain recently competed in the Grand Prix tournament in the Czech Republic. She lost two bouts and won once, earning her the silver medal. Along with Nikhat, Lovlina is also in Saarbrucken, Germany, for a month-long training camp. Talking about the Olympics news, Lovlina finished the camp on July 22 and is all set to take on the world in Paris for her second Olympic medal.