India’s challenge is led by Neeraj.

It promises to be a remarkable excursion, given the terrific shape certain sportsmen are in.

Kamalpreet Kaur was in the 60m area two years ago, but this season the discus thrower has set a new personal best. The 25-year-old smashed the national record and improved her personal best by moreover five meters at the 2019 Doha Asians when she could only achieve 55.59m! With a 66.59m throw, she is ranked sixth in the world this year.

Every time the Olympics roll around, several Indian athletes miraculously improve their performance and achieve world-class status. Despite COVID-19’s overseas excursions and most of their training being messed up this time, the athletes have pleasantly surprised everyone by making the cut for Tokyo in a number of disciplines.

When the entrance requirements for Tokyo were released, many believed that only a small number of athletes would be able to compete because they required competitors to break national records in nearly every event. Surprisingly, they succeeded.

Deeds that set new records

Nine of the 16 qualifiers in individual events established national records this year, and while 12 met the qualification requirements, four of them — 400m hurdler M.P. Jabir, 50km walker Gurpreet Singh, sprinter Dutee Chand, and discus thrower Annu Rani — advanced to the World rankings stage.

In a country that has yet to win an Olympic medal in athletics, this has elevated expectations to new heights.

Predicting medals or finals is a tricky business, especially during this epidemic era when out-of-competition doping testing has been lacking, but given the incredible shape the athletes are in, this promises to be a memorable Olympics for the country.

Neeraj Chopra, a javelin thrower, may put an end to India’s long wait for independence and, if he’s at his best, bring home a silver medal. A shoulder strain ended his chances of competing in the most recent Olympics, but Neeraj won the under-20 Worlds gold with a junior world record throw that would have earned him a bronze in Rio.

After missing the 2019 Doha Worlds due to elbow surgery, Neeraj improved his national record to 88.07 meters, placing him fourth on the global list.

Other possibilities

Men’s long jumper M. Sreeshankar, shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor, steeplechaser Avinash Sable, and javelin throwers Annu Rani and Kamalpreet should all make the final if they replicate their season’s best performances.

The men’s 4x400m relay has a greater chance of qualifying for the final than the mixed relay. However, despite the fact that quarter-miler Amoj Jacob has progressed dramatically with each meet, national record holder Muhammed Anas has only competed in one solo 400m events, while another standout Noah Nirmal Tom has not competed in any. As a result, making forecasts is challenging. And none of the leading ladies are on the mixed team.