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The time has come for sports lovers across the world to tune into their television sets as they follow the progress of the world’s best athletes to find out which country performs the best in the hunt for medals.
The Indian contingent is in Rio with its biggest participation ever. With the contingent come the expectations, as a lot of athletes have been touted to be potential medal contenders at the Games.
Though India go into the event with a lot of hopes and aspirations, the Olympics will also see legendary athletes like Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps in action, in what will possibly be their last Olympic Games.
Phelps is the athlete with the most medals in Olympic history and will be looking to further his legacy in Brazil. Bolt is the two-time reigning Gold medalist in the 100 metres, 200 metres and the 4*100 metres relay, and will look to go out with a bang, making it three times in a row.
The world will be waiting eagerly to witness these stalwarts in action and the events promise to be very, very interesting.
In an ode to our athletes in Rio, Flipkart have launched their #RiseAtRio themed store, where they encourage people to embrace sports and fitness. Here are our picks for athletes who will #RiseAtRio for India:
Yogeshwar Dutt
Yogeshwar Dutt has both the personality and the attitude of a champion, which reflects in his demeanour on the mat. Dutt famously came back from the dead to win the Bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics through the repechage rounds.
He has represented the contry in three Olympic Games already, and with Sushil Kumar absent, will be the leader of the wrestling contingent at Rio.
Yogeshwar has already announced that this is his last shot at glory and he will be going all out to ensure that he gives his all to defeat his opponents and win a medal.
Having been plagued by multiple injuries of late, Dutt has come back stronger each time and the way he fought his pain to stay undefeated in the Pro Wrestling League gives one strong belief that he will definitely impress in Brazil.
A man who has always been very emotional, he will look to use his experience and variety of moves on the mat to secure a medal for the nation.
Vinesh Phogat
The 21-year-old would be India’s face in the 48-kg category and the biggest medal bet from the country’s female contingent in wrestling.
The route to the Olympics for the youngest of the Phogat sisters was comfortable, as she finished with a Gold Medal at the World Wide Qualifier tournament, rolling past 2014 World Championships silver medallist Iwona Matkowska.
Full of confidence, energy and agility, Vinesh is handy on the mat and comes into the Games high on form. Phogat was undefeated in the Pro Wrestling League, winning a majority of her bouts on technical superiority and kept up the good work in the Nationals.
She is coming off a strict training regime and would definitely be one of the Indian athletes the country will be banking their hopes on.
Dipa Karmakar
Dipa has been under the limelight ever since she became the 1st Indian woman to qualify for Gymnastics at the Olympics. Her score of 52.698 points at the Glasgow Gymnastics World Championships helped her finish 5th and secure a spot at Rio 2016.
What followed was a series of wishes as she became an overnight sensation and the darling of the nation as everyone saw the beginning of what could become a career to cherish.
Having excelled in a sport with no real structure, equipment and facilitiy in the country, Dipa has already won the first half of her battle. Having qualified for the vault finals and created history, she will now be focused on giving her best to get a medal.
Her weapon is the Produnova, a move considered one of the most difficult to execute. It is a double frontal vault which possesses a difficulty rating of 7.0. Dipa is one of the only five women in the world to have successfully completed the toughest vault in artistic gymnastics.
Whether she wins a medal or not, she will definitely put India on the map by virtue of her performance in Rio.
If Dipa’s emotional story touches a chord with you and your interest in sports and fitness, visit the Flipkart #RiseAtRio themed store and get your fitness story off to a great start.
Sania Mirza – Rohan Bopanna
The duo have pretty much won everytime they have stepped on the court together and would look to continue doing the same at Rio. Having sealed the qualification in June, they have been working hard for the Olympics and will be looking to win a medal.
Ranked 11 in the world as a pair, Mirza and Bopanna have strong chemistry and have playing styles that act as very good complements. Sania’s booming forehand and aggressive mindset will be backed up very well by Bopanna’s big serve and accurate volleys.
Sania Mirza has established herself as the World’s top-ranked doubles player, and won the Australian Open earlier this year. Bopanna is ranked 15 in the men’s doubles section and has been a very consistent presence on the tour.
Their experience makes them a very dangerous team and one that has a great chance of winning a medal.
Deepika Kumari
One of the youngest members of the Indian contingent at London 2012, Deepika Kumari goes to Rio 2016 as the 12th-ranked archer in the world and yet, she is one of the athletes with a very good chance of winning a medal.
Inexperience and ailment proved to be her undoing at the 2012 Olympics, where she helped India finish 8th in the team event but got knocked out in the first round in the individual event, despite being world number 1.
Four years are a long time, and Deepika has gained a lot of experience in this time. She won the Gold medal at the 2013 Archery World Cup stage 3 and then clinched the Silver in the 2013 FITA Archery World Cup.
She also won Silver in the World Cup final in 2015 and goes into the individual event at the Olympics in prime condition, after having equaled the World Record at the first stage of the World Cup in April 2016. Though she couldn't take India beyond the quarter-finals of the team event, her presence in the individual event is a great boost to Indian hopes.
If you are a sports fan or a fitness freak, then the Olympics is just the right time for you to log onto Flipkart.com to get some great equipment and apparel in order to step your fitness levels one step further!
