• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

Few Indian athletes are strong favourites to win medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Neeraj Chopra, Mirabai Chanu, and PV Sindhu have won medals in past Olympics, while Nikhat Zareen, Antim Panghal, and Sift Kaur Samra will look to climb the sacred podium in their Games debuts. However, the path to the podium is not easy, and these competitors will have to beat the best in the world to get there.

Tempers might flare, rivalries can erupt, and players will frequently encounter familiar opponents. So, before the Paris Olympics begin, let's take a look at the top opponents that India's medal contenders would have to overcome. 

1 . Neeraj Chopra vs Jakub Vadlejch and Arshad Nadeem

Neeraj, the defending Olympic champion, is a top favourite to bag gold in Paris after his historic win in the Tokyo Games, but his path to another Olympic glory will not be easy.

Neeraj will face fierce competition for top podium finish from his two rivals: Czechia's Jakub Vadlejch and Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem.

Along with Neeraj, Vadlejch [who won silver in Tokyo] is one of the most consistent javelin throwers in recent years. He beat Neeraj in the Doha Diamond League this season and recently won the European Athletics Championships.

Meanwhile, Nadeem finished second at last year's World Championships behind Chopra. Notably, Nadeem has already reached the 90-meter mark, something India's 'Golden Boy' has not yet done.

2 . Indian men's hockey team vs Australia

Playing against a team like Australia has been a major spot for concern for India as they suffered defeat by 1-7 to the Aussies before winning a bronze medal at the last Olympics. Meanwhile, in the 2022 Commonwealth Games final, Australia beat India 7-0 and handed India a 5-0 loss this April.

India may face Australia twice at the Paris Olympics, first in the group stage, which will be critical to their progress to the quarterfinals, and then if both teams advance to the semifinals. India's medal route will most likely follow the Australian route.

3 . PV Sindhu vs Chen Yu Fei

India's ace shuttler Sindhu hopes to make history in Paris by becoming the first Indian athlete to win three individual Olympic medals. Given her experience and big-tournament prowess, she has the potential, but she must first defeat China's world number two and second seed Chen Yufei.

Yufei, her prospective semifinal opponent, has been in better shape coming into the Olympics than Sindhu, who has had an erratic run. Although both players have six wins in their head-to-head record, Yufei defeated Sindhu in three games at this year's French Open quarterfinals.

4 . Mirabai Chanu vs Hou Zhihui

Mirabai Chanu is hailed as a hero for her silver medal exploits in the Tokyo Olympics and many medals at the World Championships. Despite recent setbacks, Mirabai is a top chance for a medal in the 49kg division in Paris, but she will have to face China's Hou Zhihui for gold.

Calling Zhihui a 'serial winner' is an understatement as she has set 11 world records during her senior career. She won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and owns the world and Olympic records in snatch and clean and jerk. Mirabai will face a significant challenge in exceeding Zhihui's total in Paris.

5 . Lovlina Borgohain vs Li Qian

Borgohain aims to make history in Paris by becoming the first boxer to win two Olympic medals. She is already a world champion in her 75kg division, having won the gold medal in 2023 in Delhi. Her main opponent, who she could face in the quarterfinals, is China's Li Qian. Borgohain overcame Qian in the 2023 Worlds semifinals, but lost her last two bouts against the Chinese boxer, including the Asian Games final. Qian has also won many Olympic medals, including silver in 2020 Tokyo and bronze in Rio four years ago.