With the Rio 2016 Olympics less than a year away, Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is confident that India will better their 2012 Olympic performance of 6 medals and bag atleast 10 medals this time. The Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme, launched with the sole objective to help India win more medals, has already identified 45 medal hopefuls from among 6 disciplines.
We list down 5 Rio 2016 Olympic Medal Hopefuls For India:
1. Lalita Babar (Women’s 3,000m Steeplechase and Women’s Marathon)
When the 3 time Mumbai marathon winner broke the 3,000m steeplechase national record at the 2015 World Athletics Championships, qualifying for the event for the first time in Indian history, all eyes turned to her as a hopeful for a podium finish at Rio 2016.
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2. Apurvi Chandela (Women’s 10m Air Rifle)
This youngster is currently India’s best shooter with a silver and bronze medal at the ISSF World Cup Final. She also holds the Commonwealth Games Record of 206.7 points in the 10m air rifle category at the 2014 Glasgow Games.
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3. Jitu Rai (Men’s 50m Pistol)
India’s most in-form shooter, Jitu Rai created the Commonwealth Games 2014 record with a score of 194.1 in the finals. He’s also had a podium finish at the World Championships, Incheon Asiad and ISSF World Cup, thus making him a strong contender for a medal 50m Pistol category.
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4. Saina Nehwal (Badminton Women’s Singles)
Having shifted base from Hyderabad to Bengaluru to train under Vimal Kumar, the former World no. 1 shuttler, already has an Olympic bronze to her name. With injuries affecting her preparation in 2015, she’s been runner up at the All England, World Championships and China Open but is surely a front runner for the gold in Rio!
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5. Sania Mirza (Tennis Mixed-Doubles)
With 9 consecutive doubles wins with partner Martina Hingis and currently ranking World no. 1 in womens doubles, Sania has only grown from strength to strength over the past few years. Teaming up with Leander Paes at Rio 2016, we see her being instrumental in bringing home a medal, which could be a second Olympic medal for Leander.
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Seems like it’s gonna be a year where the women will dominate for India. How many Olympic medals do you think India will bring home this time? Comment and tell us!
