Paris Olympics: Shooting, shuttlers, hockey to kick off India’s medal pursuit in France

The Summer Games 2024 commenced with a spectacular opening ceremony, setting the stage for an exhilarating Day 1 of competition.

The day promises a flurry of sporting action, highlighted by the performances of Indian shooters, shuttlers, and the men's hockey team as they begin their quest for glory in Paris.

The focus will be on the mixed team event in the 10m air rifle on Saturday, 27 July 2024. Also playing on Day 1 will be the Indian men’s hockey team who face New Zealand in their first group stage match along with the start of the badminton group stage matches featuring Lakshya Sen, the Ashwini Ponnappa-Tanisha Castro pair, and the Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty pair in action.

Three years after securing seven historic medals in Tokyo, the Indian contingent aims at least to match that feat at the Paris 2024 Olympics. With 117 athletes competing across 16 disciplines, the excitement is palpable as India sets its sights on another record-breaking performance.

The New Indian Express wrote about how in Chateauroux, India's largest ever shooting contingent, comprising 21 athletes, aims to end the medal drought since the 2012 London Olympics. The focus will be on the mixed team event in the 10m air rifle on Saturday, 27 July.

With two teams—Ramita Jindal/Arjun Babuta and Elavenil Valarivan/Sandeep Singh—India hopes to capitalise on their world record in qualifying.

Although competition from China and Germany is stiff, Elavenil, mentored by Gagan Narang, and her partner Sandeep are poised for a strong performance.

On Day 1 of the 2024 Paris Olympics, India’s shooters, shuttlers, and the men’s hockey team will take centre stage. Notably, the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team qualification and medal events will occur on the same day, a departure from the Tokyo Olympics schedule, where they were held on separate days.

In the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team event, India has high hopes for the pairs of Ramita Jindal-Arjun Babuta and Elavenil Valarivan-Sandeep Singh. The teams that finish in the top four during the qualification stage will advance to the medal matches later in the day.

In archery, both the men's and women's teams have started strong, finishing in the top four during the qualifications. This promising beginning sets a positive tone within the Indian camp at the Games Village.

The spotlight will remain on Olympic star athletes as world champion Neeraj Chopra, double Olympic medalist PV Sindhu, and last Games silver medalist Mirabai Chanu take the stage in the following days.

In boxing, Manu Bhaker competes in the 10m air pistol qualification round, while world champion Nikhat Zareen and 2021 bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain face challenging draws.

Unseeded Nikhat will meet Germany’s Maxi Carina Kloetzer in the round of 32, and if she advances past the first round, Lovlina could face China’s Li Qian in the quarterfinals.

On the badminton courts, alongside PV Sindhu, the duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are in fine form, chasing a historic medal in men’s doubles at La Chapelle.

Wrestling remains a stronghold for India, with hopes pinned on Vinesh Phogat in the 50 kg category and Asian Games medalist Antim Panghal in the 53 kg category. Aman Sehrawat and the promising Anshu Malik also present strong medal prospects.

For India, the countdown to potentially winning double figures in medals could well start on Saturday, 27 July.