Road to Paris 2024: Indian Sport's Evolution Post Tokyo Olympics
As we gear up for Paris 2024, after a shorter three-year Olympic cycle (due to the pandemic-delayed 2020 Games), here's a look at what has changed from Tokyo to Paris for the Indian Olympic contingent:
At Tokyo and in Paris: what has stayed the same?
Medal winners return for more:
Five of the seven Indian medal winners from Tokyo - Neeraj Chopra (javelin throw), Mirabai Chanu(weightlifting), PV Sindhu (badminton), Lovlina Borgohain (boxing) and the men's hockey team - return to the Olympics in the quest to add to their tally.
The encouraging sign for Indian sports fan is that all of them appear capable of doing just that. Neeraj and Lovlina are the reigning world champions in their respective disciplines. Mirabai and Sindhu, former world champions themselves, have struggled with injuries in the lead-up but have the calibre and experience needed to level up. The hockey team have adopted control over chaos in a bid to change the colour of their medal
Look out for more Indians becoming multiple Olympic medallists at Paris.
What's changed from Tokyo?
The biggest change from Tokyo are the major names missing from action:
Indian women's hockey team
Remember the whole Chak De! India moment from Tokyo when the Indian women's hockey team beat Australia against all odds (but finished a heartbreaking fourth)?
There will be none of that in Paris as the team failed to reach Paris 2024, despite multiple chances including an Olympic qualifier at home. It was a contentious Olympic cycle where Janneke Schopman (assistant coach at Tokyo) took over, dropped captain Rani Rampal, changed the team's style of play into a more energetic one, but ultimately couldn't make it count.
Bajrang Punia and Ravi Dahiya
A big miss will be medal winning wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Ravi Dahiya. Both lost at the national stage itself, at the selection trials for Olympic qualifiers.
Bajrang, who was the male spearhead of the 2023 wrestlers protests in India and thus spent a significant time away from training, lost in the semifinals of the trials. India won no quota in his weight category either. Dahiya, who had won silver in Tokyo, suffered a knee injury that required surgery in 2023 and wasn't his best self at the trials.
From two medal winners in Tokyo, there will be only one male Indian wrestler at Paris in Aman Sehrawat, who will compete in the same category as Ravi.
Mary Kom
London 2012 bronze winner Mary Kom is a name synonymous with Indian boxing, but she won't be competing at Paris 2024. That's primarily because she is 41 years old and international boxing rules allow competing only till the age of 40. Besides, her boxing crown has been passed onto reigning world champion Ni.
