Which Indian Athletes could win Medals at the 2024 Olympics?

With less than 100 days to go before the 2024 Olympics in Paris, sports fans are eagerly awaiting the biggest sporting event.

In India, enthusiasts are eagerly speculating on which Indian athletes could shine brightly on the global stage and clinch medals for the nation.

With an impressive pool of talent across various sporting disciplines, India’s contingent is poised to make a significant impact at the upcoming Games.

Leading up to the Olympics, Indian athletes have had varied degrees of success in tournaments.

We look at India’s potential medal hopes.

Neeraj Chopra

Neeraj Chopra is the obvious choice when it comes to India’s medal hopes. But what colour is a more difficult prediction?

He is the world’s most reliable javelin thrower, though not the furthest.

Johannes Vetter, Anderson Peters, Arshad Nadeem and Jakub Vadlejch all have surpassed him in distance.

Nonetheless, Chopra has triumphed over each of these competitors.

Chopra has not actually started his season yet. It begins on May 10 at the Doha Diamond League.

Challenging him this season are the usual candidates plus a 19-year-old phenom called Max Dehning, the youngest entrant into the 90m club.

But Neeraj Chopra is not worried as he says:

“What I feel matters the most is what you do on that day and how much distance you can cover on that day.”

PV Sindhu

A medal at the 2024 Olympics would make PV Sindhu the first Indian athlete to win three individual Olympic medals.

But it may be a tough ask, especially considering her difficult 2023.

Sindhu suffered eight first-round exits in the 19 tournaments she competed in and finished without a single title.

Her most notable achievement was finishing as the runner-up at the Madrid Masters in March.

Since her bronze medal win at Tokyo 2020, she has been grappling with injuries and is currently recovering from a knee injury.

Nevertheless, she must overcome these obstacles to ascend the podium in Paris.

Nikhat Zareen

Boxing sensation Nikhat Zareen remained unbeaten for nearly two years until her defeat in the Asian Games semifinal in 2023.

She is a two-time world champion, a Commonwealth Games champion and one of the sport’s best boxers in her weight category.

Since qualifying for the 2024 Olympics, Zareen has only appeared in one tournament, where she won silver.

Having gone into the tournament to “assess” herself, Nikhat will be in a confident mood.

For years, she has been in Mary Kom’s shadow.

But she is now a favourite to win an Olympic gold medal, something no Indian boxer has ever achieved.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have a very strong chance of winning India’s first Olympic gold in badminton.

The pair come into the Olympic year on the back of the best season of their careers.

They won the Asian Games, Indonesia Open Super 1000 and Badminton Asia Championships. They also became world number one.

Each of these is a first for Indian badminton.

Rankireddy and Shetty play a fearless style of badminton and are not afraid of any opponent.

In 2023, they won five titles. However, they also suffered four first-round and as many second-round exits.

Their primary aim for the year will be maintaining consistency but when they are under pressure, their performance can go up another level.

Vinesh Phogat

A medal at the 2024 Olympics would cement Vinesh Phogat as arguably India’s greatest female wrestler.

Phogat has claimed titles as an Asian and Commonwealth champion and secured two bronze medals at the World Championships.

However, Olympic glory has evaded her in both of her previous attempts.

In 2016, she left the mat on a stretcher due to a knee injury, while at Tokyo 2020, she fell short of the mark.

As Paris 2024 approaches, Phogat is yet to confirm her place and the odds remain stacked against her.

But unlike her peers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, she lacks an Olympic medal.

If she can channel her focus and determination to clinch a medal, it would stand as one of the most remarkable moments in India’s sporting history.

Indian Men’s Hockey Team

After winning bronze at Tokyo 2020, could the Indian men’s hockey team go a step further at the 2024 Olympics?

In 2023, the Indian men’s hockey team faced a poor start by finishing ninth in the World Cup hosted in India, casting a shadow over their future.

However, they bounced back impressively, staying unbeaten to claim victory in both the Asian Champions Trophy and the Asian Games.

Their success in the Asian Games secured their spot at the Paris Games, allowing them ample time to focus solely on training without the added pressure of qualification.

The current team has a nice balance of experienced players and rising talents, showcasing a rejuvenating style of hockey.

Yet, to rekindle the glory days of Indian hockey, they must improve their performance in critical moments and handle pressure situations more effectively.

Lovlina Borgohain

Lovlina Borgohain emerged as the sole Indian boxer to secure a medal at the Tokyo Olympics and aims to continue her success at Paris, striving for a perfect 2/2 record.

Moving up a weight class from 69kg to 75kg, she has shown plenty of promise, holding the title of world champion in her new category and earning a silver medal at the Asian Games.

Following a brief lull post-Tokyo, Borgohain displayed her resilience in 2023, proving her capabilities when it counted most.

She stands on the brink of joining an esteemed group: becoming the first Indian boxer to claim multiple medals.

Given her recent form, this milestone appears well within her reach.

Mirabai Chanu

Mirabai Chanu would want to forget her 2023 as she was riddled with injuries and finished sixth at the Asian Weightlifting Championships.

Injuries meant she skipped the World Championships.

Chanu managed a fourth-place finish at the Asian Games, but that event ended on a sombre note as she had to be carried off the lifting platform due to a thigh injury.

Chanu has qualified for Paris 2024 and faces formidable competition as she looks to get back to her best.

If she does, Chanu has a shot at a medal.

Sift Kaur Samra

Sift Kaur Samra is the world record holder in the 50m rifle 3 positions (women) and reigning Asian Games gold medalist.

She beat reigning world champion Zhang Qiongyue for the gold and also shattered the world record by 2.6 points.

At the ISSF Asian Championships in January 2024, she won silver in her pet event, despite tough competition.

What makes Samra’s achievements all the more commendable is that athletes compete across three different positions.

Already having beaten the world’s best and announcing herself with the world record to her name, Samra could very well become India’s first female shooter to win an Olympic medal.

The road to Olympic success for Indian athletes at the 2024 Games is paved with determination, talent, and relentless dedication.

As we eagerly await the opening ceremonies in Paris, the prospects for India’s medal tally look promising across various sports.

While the challenges on the Olympic stage are formidable, India’s athletes stand ready to showcase their skills, passion, and resilience, aiming not just for personal triumphs but also to inspire generations and etch their names in Olympic history.