India at Tokyo Olympics 2020: Which Indians should you watch out for

Indians to watch out for at the Tokyo Olympics [Image Credits: Vinesh Phogat/Twitter, Deepika Kumari, Mirabai Chanu, Saurabh Chaudhary, PV Sindhu, Amit Panghal, Bajrang Punia/Instagram]
Indians to watch out for at the Tokyo Olympics [Image Credits: Vinesh Phogat/Twitter, Deepika Kumari, Mirabai Chanu, Saurabh Chaudhary, PV Sindhu, Amit Panghal, Bajrang Punia/Instagram]

India is all set to start its campaign on July 23 at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. A contingent of 119 athletes will be competing in 18 sports to finish at the podium. This time around, India is expecting its biggest ever medal haul at the Games.

There are several Indians who have been making a lot of noise in their respective sports. With a lot of expectations weighing on them, it will be interesting to see how these aces perform at the Tokyo Olympics. Here are the Indians at the Olympics you should definitely watch out for.

Also Read: Five Indian stars who will miss Tokyo Olympics 2020

Indians to watch out for at the Tokyo Olympics

# 1 Deepika Kumari

Once again Deepika Kumari will enter the Olympics as World No. 1. The archer has made India proud by racking up international medals throughout her career. She has all the accolades an athlete would like to have barring an Olympic medal.

She is yet to win a coveted medal at the Summer Games. Kumari has faced disappointment in 2012 and 2016. This year, yet again, Kumari will go in as the people's favorite to finish on the podium.

After facing setbacks the previous two times, Kumari will go all out for that gold this time. It has made her one of the Indians at Olympics to watch out for.

She will want to erase the pain of London and Rio by winning multiple medals at the Tokyo Games. Kumari will also be hoping to become the first Indian athlete to win multiple medals in the same edition of the Olympics.

# 2 Vinesh Phogat

Hailing from the famous Phogat family, Vinesh is one of India's best female wrestlers in the ring at the moment. The grappler has been dominant on the mat and looks very determined to win a medal this time.

She was one of the favorites to win a medal for India at the Rio Olympics. However, a horrendous knee injury crushed her hopes as she left the mat crying.

Five years post that, Phogat is still the favorite to win a medal. She will be hoping to make the agonizing wait worth it, as she aims for gold.This makes her one of the Indians at Olympics to watch out for.

# 3 Saurabh Chaudhary

The young prodigy is one of the sensations in the talented Indian shooting team. At 19, Chaudhary has a lot of years left in him. But he doesn't look interested in waiting. He has already claimed all the top international medals. Going into his first Olympic Games, Saurabh will be hoping to put on a show and bag more medals for India.

He will be competing in individual and mixed team events and has emerged as one of the favorites for both. This is what makes him one of the Indians at Olympics to watch out for. He will also be a strong candidate to become one of the first Indians to win multiple medals in the same edition of the Olympics.

# 4 Elavenil Valarivan

Elavenil Valarivan will go into the Tokyo Olympics as the female World No. 1 in her category. She has been exceptional in her short career as a rifle shooter. The youngster has already broken a world record and racked up many international medals ahead of her first Olympics.

She will be competing in individual and mixed team events at the Olympics. Her partner at the mixed team event is Divyansh Singh Panwar. The duo have looked really good and could possibly bring home a medal.

Also Read: Complete list of Indian athletes qualified for Tokyo Olympics 2020

# 5 Amit Panghal

Amit Panghal is ranked World No. 1 in the flyweight category at the moment. He has looked really impressive in the past few years. He won silver at the World Championships and has since looked stunning.

He will have a few hurdles to cross before he gets to the podium. But Panghal is not someone who will back out. The Haryana resident will go into the ring as one of the favorites in his category. He will be hoping to win India its first boxing medal since the bronze in Beijing. This makes him one of the Indians at Olympics to watch out for.

# 6 Bajrang Punia

Bajrang Punia has won everything on offer at the mat. He is one of the sensations to come out of Haryana in the last decade. The grappler will be hoping to clinch that elusive medal at the Olympics to cement his legacy as one of the greatest wrestlers coming out of India. He will also be India's flagbearer at the closing ceremony. This makes him one of the Indians to watch out for at the Tokyo Olympics.

# 7 PV Sindhu

PV Sindhu made the whole country proud by winning a silver at the Rio Olympics. She has since won the World Championships and several other medals. Sindhu is the lone Indian woman to participate in badminton at the Tokyo Olympics.

She will be spearheading Indian badminton's hopes of continuing the medal rush at the Olympics. This makes her one of the Indians to watch out for at the Tokyo Games.

With 2016 Rio gold medal winner Carolina Marin (women's badminton) out of the 2020 Summer Games, Sindhu will fancy her chances of baging that elusive top spot on the podium.

# 8 Mirabai Chanu

Mirabai Chanu is India's only participant in weightlifting at the Tokyo Olympics. She broke a world record in her 49 kg category by executing a 119 kg clean and jerk lift. This may give her the boost she needs to compete at the games. Chanu is a world champion and has everything it takes to get to the podium. She will be hoping to win gold for India at Tokyo.

Also Read: Tokyo Olympics 2021 Schedule

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