July 16, 2024
Neeraj Chopra
Sport: Men’s Javelin Throw
Neeraj Chopra created history at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when he became the first Indian to win a gold medal in athletics at the Olympics. Chopra’s win in 2020 was also the first instance of an Indian winning any Olympic medal in athletics in the post-independence era. He is not just the first Indian, but also the first Asian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in javelin and the first Asian to win gold in javelin at the World Championships. Ahead of the Olympics, he withdrew from the Ostrava Golden Spike 2024 athletics meet in the Czech Republic due to fitness issues as he did not want to take any risks before the mega event.
Vinesh Phogat
Sport: Wrestling – Women’s 50kg
Vinesh Phogat is the first Indian female wrestler to have won gold at both the Commonwealth and Asian Games. She is also the sole Indian woman wrestler to win more than one medal at the World Wrestling Championships. For her achievements, she was nominated for the Laureus World Sports Awards in 2019. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she competed in the women’s 53kg event and lost to Belarus’ Vanesa Kaladzinskaya in the quarterfinals.
PV Sindhu
Sport: Badminton – Women’s Singles
Badminton star PV Sindhu is one of the biggest sporting icons in the country today. Sindhu has been on the medal podium in the last two Olympics and the country will have its fingers crossed that she can complete a hat-trick. At the 2016 Rio Games, Sindhu created history by becoming the first Indian badminton player to win silver at the Olympics. Four years later, she became only the second Indian athlete in an individual sport to win medals at two Olympics when she won the bronze medal in Tokyo 2020. Before Sindhu, wrestler Sushil Kumar won the bronze in the men’s 66kg freestyle category at Beijing 2008 and a silver at London 2012.
Mirabai Chanu
Sport: Weightlifting – Women’s 49kg
Mirabai Chanu will look to defend the silver medal she won in the 49kg category at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo with a total lift of 202kgs. With her win, she became the second Indian weightlifter to win a medal at the Olympics, Karnam Malleswari being the first with a bronze at Sydney 2000. Chanu’s special win also marked India’s first medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Chanu went on to win the gold medal in the 49kg category at the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, UK. Chanu suffered an injury at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, which kept her away from weights for four months. Having recovered, she is now raring to bring more glory for India.
Lovlina Borgohain
Sport: Boxing – Women’s 75kg
Lovlina Borgohain was also among the medallists from India at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She won the bronze medal in the women’s welterweight (64 to 69kg) event. Borgohain reached the semifinals of the competition, where she went down to Turkey’s Busenaz Surmeneli. Despite the loss, Borgohain became the third Indian boxer to win a medal at the Olympics, joining Mary Kom, who won at the 2012 London Olympics, and Vijender Singh, who won at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Nikhat Zareen
Sport: Boxing – Women’s 50kg
Nikhat Zareen is a two-time world champion in boxing, having won the Women’s World Boxing Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2022 and Delhi in 2023. Apart from that, the 28-year-old also won the gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, UK, and the bronze medal in the light flyweight (women’s 50kg) event at the 2022 Asian Games.
Sift Kaur Samra
Sport: Shooting – Women’s 50mt Rifle 3P
Sift Kaur Samra, who gave up her MBBS course to focus on shooting, was rewarded for her hard work when she won gold at the 2022 Asian Games. She was also a part of the team that won the silver medal during the same competition. At only 22 years of age, she is considered the future of India’s shooting.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty
Sport: Badminton – Men’s Doubles
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are the only doubles pair from India to rank number one in the BWF (Badminton World Federation) World Rankings. They are also the first Indians to win gold at the Asian Games in badminton, achieving the feat at the 2022 Hangzhou Games. The duo won bronze at the 2022 World Championships in Japan and gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, UK.
Indian Men’s Hockey Team
The Indian men’s hockey team won the bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, defeating Germany 5-4. This was India’s first Olympic medal in hockey after a long gap of 41 years. The Indian hockey team went on to win gold at the 2022 Asian Games and the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy. The team is in good form and will be confident of securing another medal at the upcoming Olympics.
Mascots of the Paris 2024 Olympics: The Olympic Phryge are based on traditional small Phrygian hats. The names and design were chosen as symbols of freedom and represent important historical figures of the French republic.
Vision of the Paris 2024 Olympics: To demonstrate that sport can change lives.
DID YOU KNOW?
- 44-year-old tennis star Rohan Bopanna, who holds the record for being the oldest men’s doubles world number one and is currently ranked number four in men’s doubles, has also qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
- In all, India has won a total of 35 medals at the Olympics—10 gold, 9 silver and 16 bronze.
Image Sources: wikipedia.org, facebook.com
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