24 Indians Who Might Win Us Gold At This Year's Rio Olympics #HopeOfABillion
As 2015 gives way to 2016 which is an Olympic year, a nation starved of success at Olympic stage will yet again look to its chosen few to make the difference, to ensure that the collective lament at yet another failed Olympic games does not gather pace.
But where will the medals come from? Who are the men and women who can win India its medals and perhaps help us overhaul the six that we had won at London 2012?
Will the many leagues which have taken over Indian sport make a real difference and can stars emerge out of nowhere to script a new beginning in India¡¯s Olympic sport in 2016? Yet again it will be shooting which will attract significant attention from the nations¡¯ sports fraternity as Rio comes near.
Jitu Rai
BCCL
While the Indians have had a lean 2015 so to say, there is still time to peak and have a real crack at medals in Brazil. Jitu Rai, who had an extraordinary 2014 but missed out on major successes in 2015, will be expected to get himself back and stand up when it matters most. Jitu has the ability and temperament having already won multiple world cup and world championship medals. In a precision sport, the day makes all the difference and the army man will be expected to steel his nerves as he readies himself for Olympic stage.
In both the 10 and 50 meters pistol, Rai has a chance. He has consistently shot the 580 or thereabouts in the last few competitions and one major push can certainly get him onto the podium at Rio.
Gurpreet Singh
If it is Rai who most will be looking at, Gurpreet Singh, clearly India¡¯s shooter of the year in 2015, will want to lay his hands on the coveted Olympic medal in the 25 meter rapid fire pistol. Taking over from Vijay Kumar who has somewhat fallen by the wayside in the last few months, Singh has been in red hot form in 2015. He has come near winning medals almost each time he has taken aim and can definitely do the trick for the shooting contingent in Rio.
Chain Singh
PTI
Chain Singh, another youngster who has been there and thereabouts, also has a chance in the 50 meter three position event. Singh has to guard against inconsistency and if he is able to overcome that, there is no reason why he can¡¯t become India¡¯s poster boy in 2016.
Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang
Beyond Rai, Singh and Gurpreet, the two veterans of Indian shooting Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang are still silently confident of bettering their own Olympic records. Bindra did well in patches in 2015 and to quality for his fourth Olympics is a commendable task.
He can still shoot close to 627 in the 10 meter air rifle and if he does so at Rio, there is no one who will bet against him. He has the experience and the temperament and will need a bit of luck to add to the gold that he had won at Beijing 2008.
BCCL
Narang on the other hand has improved as the year went by. Not at his best at the start of 2015, Narang did well to qualify towards the end of the year and given his vast experience of competing at the biggest stage of all, he does have a realistic chance of winning another of those coveted Olympic medals in August 2016.
Yogeshwar, Narsingh, Bajrang and the 3 Phogat sisters
BCCL
If shooting is India¡¯s stand out medal sport, under Yogeshwar, Narsingh, Bajrang and the 3 Phogat sisters who are all doing reasonably well at the ongoing wrestling league, India has a chance of winning two or more medals on the mat at Rio. Yogeshwar will sure want to sign off on a high and if his Asian Games 2014 performance is anything to go by, he has a real chance in the 65 kilogram category. In the absence of Sushil, who it now appears will have to miss the Games, Narsingh will be India¡¯s premier athlete in the 74 kilograms category. And if his recent performances are any yardstick, he does have the potential to emulate his mentor.
Deepika, Laxmi Rani Majhi and Riml Buruily
BCCL
In archery too India has a good chance under Deepika, Laxmi Rani Majhi and Riml Buruily. Women archers have been on target right through 2015 and both Deepika and Majhi have a reasonable chance in the individual event as well.
Sania Mirza, Rohan Bopanna and Leander Paes
AFP
In tennis it will all be on Sania Mirza, Rohan Bopanna and Leander Paes. First, it needs to be known who among the two will partner Sania and only then can we start thinking of a medal in the mixed doubles discipline.
The one sport where India has lost out badly owing to administrative inefficiency in 2015 is boxing. The body continues to be in disarray and the many talented boxers in Vikas Krishan, Shiva Thapa, Mary and Sarita continue to fight on lonely battles in the absence of support from the federation.
Sudha Singh, Lalita Babar and OP Jaisha
BCCL
Finally, in hockey and athletics, for the first time in years perhaps, India has an outside chance of a medal. Hockey has seen a sort of resurgence and in the three women- Sudha Singh, Lalita Babar and OP Jaisha.
Indrajeet Singh
BCCL
And in Indrajeet Singh in shot put, there¡¯s hope of an upset medal, which in itself is a big thing for Indian athletics.
In sum, the numbers don¡¯t seem to add up as we step into 2016. The six medals won in London seem a fair distance away and it will take much doing to better the London tally in the biggest sporting stage of all.