The 2024 Paris Olympics are here, and India's best athletes - 117 of them - have their eyes on a medal. At the world level, though, things are exceedingly tough.
On the back of a record seven medals in Tokyo, naturally the expectations are that India's tally will grow larger, but the 2016 Rio Olympics are a cautionary tale, where India only won two medals after a then record six in London 2012.
However, Indian athletes have been making great strides of late, with a record medal haul in the Asian Games last year. So keeping an optimistic outlook, here are India's top medal contenders for the 2024 Paris Olympics:
Neeraj Chopra
Olympic cycle record: 2020 Tokyo Olympics - GOLD; 2022 Worlds - SILVER; 2022 Diamond League Final - 1st place; 2023 Worlds - GOLD; 2022 Asian Games - GOLD
'Who else will win a medal in Paris?' is a common refrain in the buildup to the Olympics, because Neeraj Chopra's medal is a near certainty. India's greatest medal hope in Paris, Chopra has not finished below second in any competition since his historic gold in Tokyo.
His remarkable consistency ought to continue in Paris, despite the tight field. Jakub Vadlejch remains his most consistent competitor while others such as Anderson Peters, Arshad Nadeem and Julian Weber can take on Chopra, since their personal bests (PBs) are better than the Indian's 89.94m mark.
A slight adductor strain kept Chopra out of competitive action prior to the Olympics (3 comps ahead of Paris vs 5 ahead of Tokyo). That is now 'fine' according to coach Klaus Bartonietz and Chopra is expected to throw at full tilt in Paris. Thus, come 8th August 2024, that familiar yell and arms raised in celebration could very well signal India's first-ever multiple gold medallist in an individual event. Neeraj Chopra at a big-ticket event simply does not miss. This is as guaranteed a medal as medals come.
Path to Paris: Neeraj Chopra. He's already done everything, but he's not done yet
Mirabai Chanu
Olympic cycle record: 2020 Tokyo Olympics - SILVER; 2022 Commonwealth Games - GOLD; 2022 Worlds - SILVER; 2022 Asian Games - DNF
Only one weightlifter in Paris has lifted a weight greater than Mirabai's best in the Olympic qualification cycle. For this most quantifiable of sports, it seems a foregone conclusion that the 29-year-old will taste Olympic glory once more and join PV Sindhu as the only Indian woman with multiple Olympic medals.
Yet, that DNF at the Asian Games is very revealing - Mirabai Chanu suffered a spate of injuries over the last 18 months that have necessitated building her body (and weightlifting prowess) back from scratch. Her motivation is arguably stronger for Paris, but whether her body will co-operate remains the question.
If it does, and Mirabai does what Mirabai does best, that Olympic medal will come.
Path to Paris: Mirabai Chanu goes back to basics for a shot at second Olympic medal
PV Sindhu
Olympic cycle record: 2020 Tokyo Olympics - BRONZE; 2021 Worlds - QF; 2022 Commonwealth Games - GOLD; 2022 Asian Games - QF
In Paris, Sindhu will aim to become the first woman in the history of badminton to win three Olympic medals. Three individual Olympic medals would also arguably make her the Indian GOAT at the Olympics.
What's standing in her way is injury, middling form and a tough draw that pits her against defending Olympic champion Chen Yufei in the quarterfinal. Sindhu appears to have put her injury-ridden 2023 behind her and her BWF form has never been great anyway (her win percentage before medals in Rio and Tokyo is roughly the same going into Paris). Sindhu is a different beast at the Olympics with the Indian flag on her jersey, and should that version arise again, we may very well witness badminton history in Paris.
Path to Paris: Forget form, forget everything... it's time for big-game PV Sindhu
Lovlina Borgohain
Olympic cycle record: 2020 Tokyo Olympics - BRONZE; 2021 Worlds - Ro16; 2022 Commonwealth Games - QF; 2023 Worlds - GOLD; 2022 Asian Games - SILVER
Lovlina Borgohain is one of only three Indians with an Olympic boxing medal, but isn't as prominent a name as the other two (Mary Kom, Vijender Singh). In Paris, she could become the most successful Indian boxer of all time at the Olympics, and yet she isn't chasing fame.
The biggest complication for Lovlina is that she's moved up a weight class: her bronze in Tokyo was in the welterweight division, while she will feature in the middleweight category in Paris. Yet, after an inconsistent start in her new weight class, she's bounced back to win silver at the Asian Games and is the reigning world champion.
Boxing remains a very subjective sport and there is never any guarantee of a medal, especially considering the calibre of Lovlina's opponents. Her long-time rival Li Qian is present, as is Cindy Ngamba who's had the edge over Lovlina in recent times. There are boxers dropping down a weight division like world champion Khadija El-Mar as well. Should the draw be kind to Lovlina however, then a second Olympic medal is well within her grasp - especially as she's taken up a more aggressive style of boxing that has caught opponents off-guard.
Path to Paris: The spotlight, and Olympic history, beckon Lovlina Borgohain
Indian men's hockey team
Olympic cycle record: 2020 Tokyo Olympics - BRONZE; 2022 Asia Cup - BRONZE; 2022 Commonwealth Games - SILVER; 2023 Asian Champions Trophy - GOLD; 2023 World Cup - 9th; 2022 Asian Games - GOLD
While 11 of the 16 members of India's men's hockey squad in Paris won bronze in Tokyo, the makeup of this Indian team is very, very different to that medal-drought ending outfit. Graham Reid's thrill-a-minute brand of hockey peaked with Olympic bronze but saw a downward turn after, ending with a shocking 9th-place finish at home in the 2023 World Cup. New coach Craig Fulton has come in and changed plenty.
The Indian team now embraces control, instead of Reid's chaos - and Fulton's gameplan was perfectly executed by an Indian team that won Asian Games gold last year. Things have been inconsistent since, and with Fulton opting for experience over youth for his Paris squad, there are a few question marks over this team. Coupled with group opponents like defending champions Belgium, giants Australia, a New Zealand team that beat India in the World Cup, tricky Argentina and a rising Ireland side, it could get tough for India.
However, the Olympics serves as the greatest motivation and if the Indian team is able to execute control in the high-pressure environment of Paris, they will bring back the glory days to Indian hockey with another Olympic medal.
Path to Paris: Indian hockey picks control over chaos in bid for Olympic glory
Aditi Ashok
Olympic cycle record: 2020 Tokyo Olympics - Fourth; 2022 Asian Games - SILVER
She'd joined the list of agonizing fourth-placed finishes by Indians in Tokyo, and Aditi Ashok now has some unfinished business at the Paris Olympics . Her last-day stumbles saw her throw away a near-certain gold at the Asian Games, but the pioneering Indian golfer is continuing her rise.
Aditi had a stellar 2023, that saw her ranking climb to a career-best 42. She's followed that with a best-ever finish at the LPGA majors in 2024 (T17 in the Evian Championship). It's all set up for her to fulfill her quest for redemption in Paris, especially since the Olympic field isn't as tough as the LPGA majors (the most any country has representation is three golfers) and the course in Paris is suited to her game.
India won't have to wake up at 5am to follow her feats this time, but if Aditi Ashok can finally deliver on her promise in an Indian jersey, she can become the nation's first-ever golfer with an Olympic medal.
Path to Paris: Aditi Ashok has form and experience, can she shake off big-event bogey?
Vinesh Phogat
Olympic cycle record: 2020 Tokyo Olympics - QF; 2022 Worlds - BRONZE; 2022 Commonwealth Games - GOLD
Vinesh Phogat won the battle of her life last year - the protest against then-President of the Wrestling Federation of India, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh ending with his ouster and a case being filed. It came at a high cost, Vinesh effectively giving up her 2023 in her cause and only just getting into the Olympics in a lower weight category.
Vinesh now faces the toughest battle of her career - a weight class that's not suited to her, a tough field with pedigreed opponents like 4-time world champion and defending Olympic champion Yui Susaki, a portion of the wrestling community rooting for her failure - it's all set up for a humbling.
Yet, Vinesh has already won off the mat, and a first Olympic medal of her career - after the pain of Rio and Tokyo would be the perfect culmination of the career of one of India's wrestling greats.
Path to Paris: Vinesh has already won the battle of her life. Now she faces the battle of her career
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty
Olympic cycle record: 2020 Tokyo Olympics - GS; 2022 Commonwealth Games - GOLD; 2022 Worlds - BRONZE; 2022 Asian Games - SILVER, GOLD
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are the toast of Indian badminton after a stellar last couple of years that saw the duo achieve plenty of firsts. They've been around the #1 spot in the hugely competitive men's doubles field for a while now and are one of the strongest bets for a medal in Paris.
Except recent reports have cast doubts on the pair's fitness, and they have a tough draw in Paris. At full strength though, the fast courts of Paris could benefit the duo's aggressive style of play and if Satwik-Chirag perform to their best, a medal, even gold, is quite the possibility. It's time for another first as the Indian pair embrace the pressure.
Path to Paris: After historic 2023, 'hungry' Sat-Chi embrace pressure, master the mind games
Aman Sehrawat
Olympic cycle record: 2020 Tokyo Olympics - DNP; 2022 U-23 Worlds - GOLD; 2023 Asian Wrestling Championship - GOLD; 2023 Worlds - 11th; 2022 Asian Games - GOLD
At 21, Aman Sehrawat has time on his side going into his debut Olympics. However, the speed at which his risen through the ranks has shown he's in a hurry - and very few can stop his ascent, including childhood idol and Tokyo silver medallist Ravi Dahiya, whom Aman defeated for a spot in Paris.
The lone Indian male wrestler in Paris, Aman will have plenty of pressure on him, but ever since he became the first Indian wrestler to win the U-23 World championship, he's never shied away from the spotlight. Blessed with incredible speed in his weight class, Aman will have to be at his best to negotiate a tricky draw but could conceivably make the semifinal and beyond if he lives up to his billing. The prize of emulating his idol and winning an Olympic medal is within his grasp - although the Olympics brings with it a different kind of pressure that the 21-year-old will have to deal with.
Path to Paris: After takedown of his idol, Aman Sehrawat wants his Olympic medal
Antim Panghal
Olympic cycle record: 2020 Tokyo Olympics - DNP; 2023 Asian Wrestling Championships - SILVER; 2023 Worlds - BRONZE; 2022 Asian Games - BRONZE
Let's get this out of the way - Antim Panghal will not win gold in the Paris Olympics. If that sounds harsh, hang on. Akari Fujinami has never been defeated in a senior wrestling bout (a streak which numbers around 130+ bouts now) and will win gold in the 53kg women's wrestling division. Even considering the potential for sport to surprise, this is a field where everyone's fighting for second place.
Antim has only five senior international tournaments under her belt - but has medalled in all of them. It's that kind of form that had seen the 19-year-old force Vinesh Phogat into a different category. Such has been Antim's wrestling prowess that her medals have basically been decided by when she met Fujinami - an early loss only allowing for a bronze through repechage. In Paris, Antim has avoided Fujinami's half and could conceivably earn that silver medal - which would be the best ever by an Indian woman wrestler.
Sift Kaur Samra
Olympic cycle record: 2020 Tokyo Olympics - DNP; 2022 Asian Games - SILVER, GOLD
The contrast in the excitement surrounding India's shooting contingent ahead of Tokyo and now before Paris could not be greater - a sign of just how disappointing Tokyo was. Sift Kaur Samra wasn't part of the Tokyo debacle and is free of that burden, but could very well be the one to heal Indian shooting's scars.
Having given up medical studies to become a shooter, Sift does her healing with a rifle instead of a scalpel now and began with silver (team) and gold (individual) in the women's 50m 3P at the 2022 Asian Games. She won with a world record score, and her calm, unflappable nature also saw her top India's strenuous selection trials ahead of the Olympics. For all the nerves that plagued India's best shooters in Tokyo, perhaps it will be a 22-year-old with ice in her veins that will finally end the 12-year shooting medal drought.
Nikhat Zareen
Olympic cycle record: 2020 Tokyo Olympics - DNP; 2022 Worlds - GOLD; 2022 Commonwealth Games - GOLD; 2023 Worlds - GOLD; 2022 Asian Games - BRONZE
They say you shouldn't meet your heroes, especially ones that utter the phrase 'Who is Nikhat Zareen?' However, Nikhat Zareen has moved past the traumatic trial process for the Tokyo Olympics against idol Mary Kom, and is now a bonafide star in her own right. She may be making her Olympic debut, but Nikhat does so as a two-time world champion, CWG gold-medallist and an Asian Games bronze-medallist.
That bronze in Hangzhou was a surprise in many ways - Nikhat was widely expected to win gold. However, it's only added fuel to her fire - a fire that began a day after the Tokyo Olympics - when Nikhat posted "The road to Paris begins. One aim: gold medal" on her social media. This is her time, and for someone who's only lost two bouts since 2022, she could become the first Indian woman to win an Olympic gold medal - which would be the perfect answer to that question from her idol.
Path to Paris: Why Nikhat Zareen wants that Olympic medal - and has a good shot at it