Will India lastly attain the elusive double-digit mark?
Raj Kishore Mishra, former joint secretary on the sports activities ministry, for one, is prepared to stay his neck out on the likelihood.
IMAGE: The Olympics stadium in Tokyo. {Photograph}: Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters
It’d sound puerile when, as soon as each 4 years, sports activities scribes and sports activities directors sit right down to guesstimate the variety of medals India would win on the best of all sporting occasions.
But, given the nation’s measly medal haul of 23 (Gold 6, Silver 5 and Bronze 12) since Independence, the joy is comprehensible.
Examine this with China. After boycotting the Summer season Video games between 1956-1980, the Center Kingdom introduced its arrival on the world stage in spectacular trend, profitable a jaw-dropping 32 medals, together with 15 Golds.
As in opposition to this, India’s finest efficiency up to now has been 6 medals on the London Olympics (2 Silvers and 4 Bronzes).
Agreed, we’ve had our personal moments beneath the solar in a journey that started in 1900 beneath colonial rule.
The uninterrupted golds in hockey from 1928 Amsterdam to 1956 Melbourne, together with the one in 1936 at Berlin beneath the very nostril of the German chancellor when the nice Dhyan Chand dazzled the hockey world together with his artistry and wizardry; the primary particular person medal, a bronze, gained by wrestler Okay D Jadhav at Helsinki 1952; the Flying Sikh, Milkha Singh’s iconic dash within the 400 metres at Rome 1960 which did not fetch a medal however gained one million hearts and an analogous feat by P T Usha at Los Angeles 1984; the primary ever medal by a lady athlete, a bronze by weightlifter Karnam Malleswari at Sydney 2000 and, lastly, the first ever particular person gold by shooter Abhinav Bindra at Beijing 2008.
Sadly, these feats have been only a few and much between for a billion plus folks longing for extra.
Towards this backdrop, how do the nation’s expectations stack up for the much-delayed present at Tokyo, being held beneath the shadow of a pandemic?
IMAGE: 2016 Olympics silver medalist P V Sindhu has been a formidable drive within the badminton world. {Photograph}: David Ramos/Getty Photographs
As on date, 115 sportspersons, together with 32 for males’s and girls’s hockey, have made the minimize for Tokyo.
This quantity is prone to go up additional after the Worldwide Tennis Federation releases the ultimate checklist for males’s doubles and the precise rankings of some different athletes are made identified on the premise of which they’d make the minimize, albeit with out assembly the qualification requirements.
The disciplines through which the Indians would determine embrace archery (4), athletics (23), badminton (4), boxing (9), equestrian (1), fencing (1), golf (2), gymnastics (1), hockey (32), judo (1), rowing (2), crusing (4), taking pictures (15), swimming (2), desk tennis (4), weightlifting (1), wrestling (7) and tennis (2).
Whereas every one of many above would attempt to give off his/her finest, most sadly would find yourself making the numbers.
Nonetheless, given the funding made in the direction of coaching and publicity of our sportspersons and their current performances, it will not be off the mark to say this might be India’s best-ever Olympics.
Our greatest guess for a number of medals could be the 15-member taking pictures workforce, now competing within the Taking pictures World Cup at Osijek, Croatia.
Whereas each them is able to hitting the bull’s eye, loads is predicted of the younger brigade led by Saurabh Chaudhary, Manu Bhaker, Divyansh Singh Panwar and Elavenil Valarivan.
Not solely are they anticipated to shine of their particular person occasions but additionally in workforce and combined workforce competitors — the primary two in 10m Air Pistol and the latter in 10m Air Rifle.
The truth is, it could be no shock if the workforce with its advantageous mix of expertise (learn Sanjeev Rajput, Abhishek Verma, Rahi Sarnobat, Apoorvi Chandela et all) and youth exceeds the entire medals tally of 6 on the London Olympics.
IMAGE: Hopes are excessive from Mirabai Chanu in weightlifing. {Photograph}: SAI Media/Twitter
Boxing and wrestling ought to determine subsequent within the medal sweepstakes.
World Quantity One Amit Panghal within the 52 kg stays one of the best guess for a gold whereas on the distaff aspect, legendary Mary Kom want to log out her illustrious profession with a second Olympic medal.
In wrestling, Bajrang Punia (65kg) and Vinesh Phogat (53kg), each ranked number one on the earth at the moment, ought to fancy their possibilities for the yellow steel.
In weightlifting, Mirabai Chanu (49kg) is predicted to go away behind her Rio disappointment and go for gold.
Chanu who lately created a world report within the clear and jerk would, nonetheless, have so as to add at the least 5kgs further within the snatch to push back the problem from her Chinese language rivals.
Equally, in badminton, P V Sindhu would search to transform the color of her Rio medal to yellow.
In males’s doubles, they might be rank outsiders, but it surely’s not past the dynamic duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty to trigger a few upsets to be on the rostrum.
In hockey, medals have dried up for the reason that gold at Moscow in 1980.
The lads’s sport, although, has witnessed a resurgence in current occasions and the workforce is now not an outlier.
Ranked fourth, it ought to intention at reaching the semi-finals first after which something is feasible in a knock-out state of affairs.
Star archer and now reinstated as world primary, Deepika Kumari has usually failed on the large stage.
Nonetheless, after her sterling efficiency within the ongoing Paris World Cup-Stage 3, she will be able to lastly be anticipated to carry her nerves and convey residence the elusive Olympic medal.
With hubby, Atanu Das, the duo additionally stands probability of fetching a medal within the combined workforce occasion.
IMAGE: Amit Panghal, the World No 1 boxer within the 52 kg class. {Photograph}: BFI/Twitter
In athletics, the blue riband of the Olympics, nothing appeared to have modified for the reason that close to misses by Milkha Singh and P T Usha, however instantly, there’s pleasure within the air.
And the person to have brought on it’s long-haired and 23 years outdated Neeraj Chopra whose nationwide report of 88.07 metres within the javelin has introduced him inside sniffing distance of a podium end.
So as to add to the sense of optimism is burly Tajinder Pal Singh Toor who lately created an Asian report within the shot put with a mighty heave of 21.49 metres, a feat that might have fetched him a bronze at Rio.
So, will India lastly attain the elusive double-digit mark? This author, for one, is prepared to stay his neck out on the guess.
Characteristic Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com