The 33rd edition of the Summer Olympics is set to take place from July 26 to August 11 in Paris and 16 other cities in France.
A total of 117 Indian athletes (including seven reserves) will travel to the French capital to take part in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Here, Sportstar looks at some Indian athletes who could be featuring in their last Olympic Games:
Sharath Kamal
Having made his Games debut in 2004, the 42-year-old is set to appear in his sixth Olympic Games and will spearhead the six-member Indian table tennis contingent at the event. Sharath, who will also be India’s flag-bearer at the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony parade, will look to clinch his first Olympic medal in what will likely be his last appearance at the quadrennial event. Sharath, Harmeet Desai and Manav Thakkar form the Indian men’s table tennis team that will compete at the upcoming Games.
P. R. Sreejesh
The veteran goalkeeper has already announced that the upcoming Paris Olympics will be his last international tournament. The 36-year-old was pivotal in India winning a historic hockey medal at the Tokyo Olympics – the country’s first podium finish in the sport since 1980. Sreejesh also led India at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Having made his debut in 2006, Sreejesh has turned out in national colours 328 times.
P. V. Sindhu
The star shuttler will be eyeing history in Paris as she looks to become the first Indian to win three individual medals at the Olympics. In two appearances at the Games so far, Sindhu has already won two medals – silver in Rio (2016) and bronze in Tokyo (2020). She is already the first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals. With form eluding her of late and injuries also being an issue, the 29-year-old will face an uphill task in trying to complete a hat-trick of medals at the Olympics.
Vinesh Phogat
The 29-year-old will be keen to prove her mettle on the biggest stage as an Olympic medal has eluded Vinesh so far. The Paris Olympics will mark her third appearance at the Games. Vinesh lost in the quarterfinals at both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 and will hope to break the jinx in the 50kg freestyle category this time around.
Deepika Kumari
Having made her maiden Games appearance in London 2012, Deepika will compete in her fourth Olympics on the trot. She entered the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games as the top-ranked archer but failed to secure a medal. Coming off a two-year hiatus after giving birth to her daughter, Deepika recently won silver at the Archery World Cup Stage I and is currently the highest-ranked Indian archer in the world. The 30-year-old will compete in both individual and team events at Paris 2024.
Mirabai Chanu
India’s lone representative in weightlifting at the Paris Games, Mirabai will be eyeing a second consecutive medal. In Tokyo, she became the second Indian weightlifter to win a medal at the Olympics when she clinched the silver in the 49kg weight class. However, Mirabai will need to overcome a hip injury she sustained during the Asian Games last year which significantly hampered her preparation.
Source Agencies
