India will have 117 athletes at the Paris Olympics, hoping to put their best foot forward to make it a memorable occasion. There's a general sense of optimism ahead of the Paris Games, and that's partly because of the previous Olympics in Tokyo. It was India's most successful Olympics ever, winning seven medals - 1 gold, 2 silver and four bronze.
Before India kickstart the Paris Olympics, here's a throwback to India's medallists at Tokyo.
Neeraj Chopra - gold in javelin throw
The star of India's Olympic campaign in Tokyo, Chopra became only the second individual gold medallist from India and the first to do so in track and field - when he threw the javelin the longest among all the competitors. Back then, Chopra was indeed one of the favourites for a medal, but he shattered expectations and went a notch above to clinch the gold.
The first signs of something special from Chopra were seen at the qualification round, which he topped with a throw of 86.65m ahead of other top contenders like Johannes Vetter, Jakub Vadlejch and Julian Weber. Two days later in the final, Chopra began with a superb throw of 87.03m, which quickly established his position at the top and his distance improved in the next throw with an effort of 87.58m. None on the field could match Chopra's first two throws with Vadlejch being the second best followed by Vitezslav Vesely.
In Paris, the battle is once again between Chopra and Vadlejch and the Indian star will aim to do the unprecedented, which is to become the first individual Indian athlete to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals.
Path to Paris: Neeraj Chopra. He's already done everything, but he's not done yet
Mirabai Chanu - silver in 49kg weightlifting
There were times not too long ago when India had to wait for days to open their tally at the Olympics. In Tokyo, Mirabai Chanu didn't want to wait. The weightlifter lived up to her pre-Olympics billing and secured a superb silver on the first day of the Games.
In fact, just like Chopra, Mirabai had done it in her first two lifts in snatch -- 84kg followed by 87kg. It was clear that if she could record a decent lift in snatch, she would be in contention for the medal because Mirabai is usually perfect with her clean and jerk lifts. Her best in clean and jerk was 115kg, which made it a total of 202kg, behind China's Hou Zhihui who won the gold with an Olympic record of 210kg. A silver secured and India were off the mark.
In Paris, Mirabai will not be in action on the first day of the Games but nonetheless, she's once again one of the favourites to bring home a medal.
Ravi Dahiya - silver in men's 57kg freestyle wrestling
Indian wrestling has been producing Olympics medals constantly since 2008 and Dahiya, and later Bajrang Punia, maintained the tradition in Tokyo. Dahiya's draw in Tokyo was no doubt a favourable one but he still had to win the bouts to proceed.
He defeated his first and second-round opponents with ease, triumphing in both by technical superiority. The semifinal was against Kazakhstan's Nurislam Sanayev, a much tougher opponent who was also a two-time Worlds medallist. Dahiya did not have a good start to his bout and Sanayev took a 9-5 lead. With just over a minute to go, Dahiya pulled off a double-leg takedown, pinning his opponent to secure an incredible comeback victory.
Dahiya couldn't beat Russia's Zavur Uguev in the final but the silver medal was a richly deserved one.
PV Sindhu - bronze in women's singles badminton
In Tokyo, Sindhu became the first Indian woman to win back-to-back Olympic medals. She had done it at the Rio Games, winning a silver medal and followed it up with a bronze in Tokyo. It showed Sindhu's big tournament prowess and also solidified her status as one of the country's greatest ever athletes.
Sindhu made it to the semifinal in Tokyo without dropping a game, defeating a higher-seeded Akane Yamaguchi in the quarterfinal. In the semifinal, she faced world no. 1 Tai Tzu-ying, an opponent she usually struggles to beat. The result didn't go her way despite a tough fight.
In the bronze medal match, she was up against China's He Bingjiao who was again a tricky opponent. It's never easy to overcome a crushing loss in the semifinal but Sindhu dominated proceedings and won the bronze medal with a clinical 21-13, 21-15 victory. In Paris, Sindhu will want to go a step further and make it three Olympic medals.
Path to Paris: Forget form, forget everything... it's time for big-game PV Sindhu
Indian men's hockey team - bronze
No country has won more Olympic medals in hockey than the Indian men's team, but before Tokyo, their last medal came way back in 1980. Under Graham Reid and led by Manpreet Singh, India broke the 41-year wait for an Olympic medal by beating Germany in the bronze medal match.
India suffered a demotivating 7-1 loss in their second game but they didn't let the defeat ruin their campaign. They beat Spain, Argentina and Japan in their next three to qualify for the quarters and then overcame the challenge against Great Britain to make it to the semifinals. They couldn't qualify for the final after a 5-2 loss against World Cup winners Belgium.
The bronze medal match against Germany ended up being a goal-fest but thankfully, it was India who held on to their slender one-goal lead and won the match 5-4. With the women's team finishing fourth in Tokyo, Indian hockey once again became the toast of the nation.
Path to Paris: Indian hockey picks control over chaos in bid for Olympic glory
Lovlina Borgohain - bronze in women's boxing 69kg
In Tokyo, Borgohain became the second Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in boxing. She confirmed her medal after winning her first two bouts - but it was not as easy as it seemed. For a place in the semifinal and to confirm a medal, she had to beat Chinese Taipei's Chen Nien-Chin, an opponent she had never beaten in their previous meetings.
The fight against Chen showed Borgohain at her best. She controlled the bout from the start, mixing tactical nous with effective punches. Chen was more aggressive, but Borgohain knew how to avoid her shots and by the time the second round ended, she knew she had the match. Chen pushed hard in the final round but couldn't do enough to turn it around.
Borgohain couldn't progress to the final, but a bronze medal was a significant feat for women's boxing in India. Now she is going to Paris as a world champion and with determination to upgrade her bronze.
Path to Paris: The spotlight, and Olympic history, beckon Lovlina Borgohain
Bajrang Punia - bronze in men's 65kg freestyle wrestling
Bajrang went to Tokyo as one of the favourites for the medal and lived up to his reputation. He was the second seed in his category but he didn't get off to a good start. He did just enough to win his first bout and then made it to the semifinals after a bit of luck in his next bout, which resulted in a pin of his opponent.
He lost the semifinal bout against Azerbaijan's Haji Aliyev but bounced back to beat another tough opponent in Kazakhstan's Daulet Niyazbekov, who was also a three-time Asian champion.
Bajrang couldn't make it to Paris, but he's one of India's greatest ever sportspersons, proving his mettle as a fighter on and off the field.