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The Indian contingent has over two hundred athletes traveling to Gold Coast, Australia ahead of the commencement of the Commonwealth Games 2018 and the exhilarating anticipation is hitting the roofs across the sporting world! Looking at the list of athletes from the Indian team, the following are the top five contenders tipped to bring back a gold medal to the motherland.
#5 Vikas Krishan, Boxing (April 5, 2018)
Returning from a recent injury and dismissal courtesy disciplinary actions over the last year, Vikas Krishan will be making a return to professional boxing after sitting out a while. Making a debut at the Commonwealth Games for India, there will be plenty of expectation attached to his name.
From winning the first prize at the Asian Games to his disappointing feat at the 2012 London Olympics, the Gold Coast CWG will be an ideal platform for the boxer to make a mark for himself and his country. Krishan was also the gold medalist at the Strandja Memorial Tournament in Bulgaria as he successfully became the first Indian national to be named the best boxer at the event.
26-year-old Vikas will contend in the 75kg group and along with his teammate Manoj Kumar, as the duo seem to be our best bet to register a gold medal win in the event.
#4 Sanjita Chanu, Weightlifting (April 6, 2018)
After winning gold at the Glasgow Games four years ago, Chanu will be the defending champion in this edition of the CWG in Gold Coast. She became the second Indian weightlifter (after Karnam Malleswari) to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships last year.
Sanjita also set a new world record lift of 194kg – 85kg snatch event. After her impressive set of achievements, the 24-year-old has doubled the expectations of attaining some golden success at the 2018 CWG in Australia. Accompanied by her partner Mirabai Chanu, the pair is amid the top medal prospects to win the weightlifting event for India.
#3 Mehuli Ghosh, Shooting (April 9, 2018)
At seventeen years of age, Mehuli is the youngest member of the Indian contingent. The teenager is one of the brightest prospects of the Indian shooting unit who is tipped to win a gold for India. From Baidyabati, a small town situated in West Bengal, Ghosh will be partaking in the 10m women’s air pistol event on the 9th of this month.
In the past, the youngster has registered a third position victory at the ISSF World Cup in Mexico, bagging the bronze medal in the mixed team event along with Deepak Kumar. Gold Coast will be an idyllic opportunity for Mehuli to showcase her worth and keep her winning streak going.
She has had a series of conspicuous performances over the last few months and the teenage prodigy will have the entire country’s limelight of expectations and backing to go for gold.
#2 Mary Kom, Boxing (April 6, 2018)
Competing in the women’s 45-48kg boxing event at the Oxenford Studios in Gold Coast, India’s legendary boxer Mary Kom returns for one final embellishment as she would be determined to bag a gold for India.
From the impressive collection of achievements at the trophy cabinets in her home, one thing that is missing from it is a medal from the Commonwealth Games and at the age of thirty-five, this is probably Mary’s last shot to complete her haul.
As she made a comeback to competitive boxing last year, she regained the title of becoming the Asian Champion by overpowering Hyang Mi Kim to win her 5th gold medal at the Asian Boxing Championships. Though she may not be the most popular contestant favoured to win in Australia, statistics speak otherwise, and with her impeccable records, Kom is one athlete one just cannot write off!
#1 Saina Nehwal, Badminton (April 12, 2018)
While her partner PV Sindhu might have outshone her as the leading Indian female badminton player recently, the shuttler from Hyderabad has still got her game intact in spite of going through a rough patch with an unfortunate set of injuries.
Some may have scratched Nehwal’s name off the list of prospect medal winners at the CWG, however, Saina will still remain a serious threat to the topmost flight of players participating at the Games in Australia.
Having won a bronze medal at the World Championships, and beating PV Sindhu at the Grand Prix to clinch the gold, the 28-year-old has bounced back stronger and fitter on a rather evident note. She will take the stage on the 12th of April at the Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre and will have her vision set on nothing short of a Gold.
