Shooting
India’s 15-member shooting contingent is the favourite to bring back a big haul of medals.
The country’s biggest hopes are pinned on Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary.
Indian shooters Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary won the gold in the final of mixed 10m Air Pistol at ISSF World Cup, at Karni Singh Shooting Ranges on 27 February 2019 in New Delhi, India
Nineteen-year-old Bhaker, one of the top contenders in the 10m Women’s Air Pistol event, has in the past won it all from World Cup gold medals to the Commonwealth medal and Youth Olympics.
Shooter Saurabh Chaudhary, world number two and Youth Olympics champion, became the youngest Indian shooter to win a gold at the Asian Games in 2018 when he was just 16.
Both Bhaker and Chaudhary are top contenders for a medal finish when they pair up for the 10m Air pistol mixed event. The duo won five successive golds at international shooting events and a silver at the World Cup in Croatia in June.
Badminton
At the Rio Olympics, 21-year-old PV Sindhu bagged a silver – and won a billion hearts. Not everyone had expected a medal back then from the young shuttler. But five years on, expectations are high.
“I was just a participant back then, but now everyone says Sindhu has to get a medal,” she told the BBC recently.
Despite inconsistencies in her performance since 2019, Sindhu remains India’s top medal hope
Last year, the ace shuttler won the inaugural BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year award.
In 2019, she was crowned the World Badminton Champion but her form has had inconsistencies since then. However, she remains India’s top medal prospect.
Boxing
Boxing
Mary Kom, also known as Magnificent Mary, the Iron Lady and many other nicknames, is a medal favourite for India.
She won a bronze at the 2012 London Olympics and will be looking to change the colour of her medal this time when she participates in the Flyweight section (51kg).
This could be the last Olympic Games for the boxing star
In May, she picked up a silver when she lost the final to Kazakhstan’s Nazym Kyzaibay during the Asian Boxing Championships in Dubai.
At 38, Kom may well be taking part in her last Olympics, and India will be rooting for her to increase her tally before she takes off her gloves.
Archery
Only last month, archer Deepika Kumari won three golds at the Archery World Cup in Paris.
Deepika Kumari is the number one ranked recurve woman in the world
She is now the world number one in the women’s recurve category and a strong candidate for a medal in Tokyo.
Kumari has won nine gold, 12 silver and seven bronze medals at various World Cups and will be looking to add the Olympic medal to her tally now.
Wrestling
India had a decent run at the Rio Olympics in 2016, with Sakshi Malik earning a bronze medal. In Tokyo, Vinesh Phogat leads the women’s wrestling team.
Having suffered a freak injury during the Rio Olympics, Phogat returned to India in a wheelchair and underwent surgery.
The 26-year-old is now roaring to go in the 53kg category with some great wins in the last couple of months, as well as reclaiming the number one ranking.
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