India’s top five medal chances at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, from PV Sindhu to Neeraj Chopra

At the Tokyo Olympics 2020, India will rely on athletes like PV Sindhu and Neeraj Chopra, among others. Five medal candidates from the Tokyo Olympics are profiled here.

With fewer than 15 days until the Games begin in the Japanese capital, the countdown for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 has begun. Due to the threat posed by COVID-19, the Tokyo Olympics will be held without spectators. All of the required processes have been put in place in preparation for the Games to begin on July 23.

India will send a large delegation to the Tokyo Olympics, with 126 participants. Alternate players will be participating in team sports as part of the contingent. With billions of Indians rooting for their athletes to win gold in the Games, India will be counting on PV Sindhu, Saurabh Chaudhary, and Neeraj Chopra, among others, to bring home a medal.

Here are the top five Indian athletes that might be medal contenders in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics:

1) PV Sindhu

PV Sindhu, a silver medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, is the only Indian shuttler playing in the women’s singles event this year. Sindhu had lost out on gold the previous year after losing in the final to Carolina Marin of Spain, but she will be looking to improve her medal count this year. Sindhu hasn’t been in the greatest of form lately, but she’s still one of India’s best prospects for the Tokyo Olympics.

2) Neeraj Chopra 

This year, Neeraj Chopra will be aiming for India’s first-ever Olympic medal in athletics. In 2018, the great javelin thrower won gold medals at the Asian and Commonwealth Games but will be competing in the Olympics for the first time. He qualified for Tokyo in January of last year, and his current best throw is 88.07 meters. Chopra may place on the podium in the Games if he can improve on it somewhat.

3) Saurabh Chaudhary

Saurabh Chaudhary, one of India’s best medal chances in the Tokyo Olympics, is presently placed second in the global rankings. At the Olympics, he will compete in the Men’s 10m air pistol and the Mixed 10m air pistol events.

4) Punia Bajrang

Bajrang Punia, India’s top wrestler at the Tokyo Olympics, will compete in the 65kg weight category. In recent years, he has been one of the finest wrestlers in the country, and he will enter the Olympics as the second seed, with strong expectations of a podium finish.

5) Mary Kom

In the women’s 51kg division, the six-time world champion may not be a favorite, but her opponents should rule her out at their risk. Mary Kom, one of India’s most seasoned campaigners, will be looking to improve on her bronze medal from the 2012 Olympics. She is the first female boxer from India to have won an Olympic medal, and she will be trying for her second this year.