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While there is no doubt that winning an Olympic medal is a tremendous achievement for a sportsperson, earning an Olympic quota is a great achievement in itself. Only the best are able to make it through to the quadrennial extravaganza.
Earning an Olympic berth takes years of hard work and sweat. A total of 117 Indians (63 men and 54 women) made the cut for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. This was a huge jump from the 83 spots that Indian sportspeople earned for the 2012 London Olympics.
So far, 99 Indians sportspeople (55 men and 44 women) have secured a quota for the Tokyo Olympics. A few more athletes are expected to qualify for the showpiece event in Japan -- which would make it one of the biggest Indian contingents for the Olympic Games.
Also Read - Tokyo Olympics 2021: Full list of Indian athletes who have qualified so far
A good number of those who have made it through for the Tokyo Olympics also represented India in an earlier edition of the Olympics. However, in this article, we will be listing ten prominent Indian athletes who are set to make their Olympics debut in Tokyo. Without further ado, here they are:
#1 Neeraj Chopra (athletics - javelin)
Neeraj Chopra has raised hopes of an Olympic medal in athletics this time. The 23-year-old from Panipat was agonizingly close to making it through to the 2016 Rio Olympics. The qualification mark for the 2016 edition was 83m, but Neeraj couldn't cross the mark in time.
The youngster threw 86.48 m at the World U20 Championships and won a gold medal. This throw also helped him set the world junior world record. However, it came a little too late as the cut-off date for the Olympics had elapsed 10 days earlier.
The Commonwealth and Asian Games gold medalist will finally be making his Olympics debut at the Tokyo Olympics. Neeraj Chopra secured a quota with a throw of 87.86 m at the Athletics Central North East meeting back in January 2020. This time the qualification mark was set at 85 m but it was a given that the star Indian javelin thrower would surpass it well in time.
Also Read - Neeraj Chopra qualifies for Tokyo Olympics 2020
#2 B. Sai Praneeth (badminton - men's singles)
India's ace shuttler Sai Praneeth has also qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. He had failed to make the cut for the 2016 Rio Olympics and will be looking forward to making a memorable Olympics debut.
To secure the quota a player must be in the top 16 as per the Race-to-Tokyo rankings maintained by the Badminton World Federation. Sai Praneeth made the cut after being ranked 13th with 52627 points.
The World Championships bronze medalist is the only male shuttler from India who will be competing in the men's singles category. The country's hopes are pinned on Praneeth as - heartbreakingly - ace shuttler Kidambi Srikant could not make the cut.
Also Read - "Not the end of the world", says Kidambi Srikanth after missing out on Tokyo Olympics
#3 Amit Panghal (boxing - men's 52 kg)
Amit Panghal qualified for the Tokyo Olympics after defeating Carlo Paalam of the Philippines in the quarterfinal bout of the Asian qualifiers in March 2020. While he bowed out of the event after a defeat in the semifinals, the performance was enough to help him secure a berth for the Olympics.
The Asian Games gold medallist will be looking to make a mark at his maiden Olympics. Panghal will compete in the men's 52 kg (flyweight division). His aim will be to come back with a medal for his country.
Also Read - How brother’s sacrifice showed boxer Amit Panghal the future
#4 Fouaad Mirza (equestrian)
Fouaad Mirza has ended India's two-decade-long wait for an equestrian berth at the Olympics.
There are a total of 200 spots for equestrian at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Of these, 65 are reserved for the discipline of eventing, the one in which Fouaad Mirza competes.
The Arjuna Awardee made the cut when the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) released the Olympic Athletes Ranking back in 2020. Mirza had topped Group G (South East Asia, Oceania) in the Individual Eventing category back in 2019. He is currently ranked 78th as per the FEI Eventing World Athlete Rankings with a total of 246 points.
Also Read - Tokyo Olympics 2020: Fouaad Mirza qualifies, ends two-decade wait
#5 C. A. Bhavani Devi (fencing - sabre)
C. A. Bhavani Devi has created history after becoming the first-ever Indian to qualify for fencing at the Olympics. The star Indian fencer made the cut through the Adjusted Official Ranking (AOR) method at the Budapest Sabre World Cup in Hungary. The 27-year-old competes in women's sabre and will be looking to make a sensational debut not just for herself, but for the entire country.
#6 Nethra Kumanan (Sailing - Laser Radial)
Nethra Kumanan hasalso created history by becoming the first-ever Indian woman sailor to qualify for the Olympics.
Kumanan secured a direct quota during the Mussanah Open Championships in April 2021. She will be competing in the Laser Radial event at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
India's Vishnu Saravanan (Laser Standard) and the duo of KC Ganapathy and Varun Thakkar (49er) have also secured Olympics places. This is the first time that more than two Indian sailors will be seen at the Olympic Games.
#7 Saurabh Chaudhary (shooting - 10 m air pistol)
Asian Games gold medalist Saurabh Chaudhary will be making his Olympic debut in Tokyo. The 10 m air pistol shooter from Haryana made the cut by clinching a gold medal at the ISSF World Cup in New Delhi back in 2019.
Chaudhary had bagged gold at the 2018 Buenos Aries Youth Olympic Games. The expectations from the young shooting powerhouse are thus extremely high.
Aged just 19, Saurabh Chaudhary is already a highly decorated shooter with 8 World Cup gold medals and an Asian Games gold medal in his kitty. It would be interesting to see if he can keep his nerve at the mega stage of the Tokyo Olympics.
Also Read - Tokyo Olympics: 5 Indians who can clinch a historic Olympic gold medal
#8 Manu Bhaker (shooting - 10m air pistol & 25m pistol)
Manu Bhaker secured a quota for the Tokyo Olympics after a fourth-place finish at the 2019 ISSF World Cup in Munich. The 19-year-old will soon become only the second sportsperson from India to participate in three different events at the Summer Olympics.
Bhaker will represent India in the women's 10m air pistol, 10m air pistol mixed team, and women's 25m sports pistol events.
The Indian shooting contingent is 15 strong this time around and there are expectations of more than 1 medal coming from the sport. Commonwealth Games gold medallist Manu Bhaker is one of the brightest medal prospects for India.
#9 Sathiyan Gnanasekaran (table tennis - men's singles)
Star Indian paddler Sathiyan Gnanasekaran qualified for the Tokyo Olympics after defeating Pakistan's Muhammad Rameez 4-0 during the Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament. The event was held in Doha in March 2021.
The Commonwealth Games gold medallist will be accompanied in Tokyo by 3 more ace paddlers. Manika Batra and Sutirtha Mukherjee will represent India in the women's singles. Meanwhile, Achanta Sharath Kamal will pair up with Manika Batra in the mixed doubles category.
#10 Bajrang Punia (wrestling - men's 65 kg)
Bajrang Punia secured a quota for the Tokyo Olympics after he bagged a bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships.
The star grappler has an Asian Games gold medal and a Commonwealth Games gold medal to his name, among many other remarkable achievements.
Bajrang Punia might have qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics as well. However, the Haryana-born grappler had backed out to enable his idol Yogeshwar Dutt to compete in the 60 kg category -- the category Punia used to contest in back then.
Bajrang Punia will finally have a chance to go for a medal at the Olympic Games. All eyes will be on Punia as he steps onto the mat at the quadrennial extravaganza.
Also Read - Five milestones in Bajrang Punia's Road to Tokyo Olympics 2021
