India aims to surpass their record of seven medals won at the Tokyo Olympics, the highest number the country has ever achieved in a single Games. The opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics is on Saturday, but India's campaign starts on Friday. Archers Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat, Bhajan Kaur, Pravin Jadhav, Tarundeep Rai, and Dhiraj Bommadevara will compete in the individual ranking rounds. Since 2004, India has consistently won at least two medals at each Olympics and hopes to break their Tokyo record this year.
Neeraj Chopra's Rivals: Neeraj Chopra, the reigning world and Olympic champion, is India's best hope for a gold medal. However, he faces tough competition from Jakub Valdlejch of the Czech Republic and Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem. Valdlejch has been a consistent rival, winning silver in Tokyo, while Nadeem can be unpredictable but formidable, as seen when he won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Men's Hockey Team's tough group: The Indian men's hockey team is ranked seventh in the world and will compete in Group B against Argentina (ranked 6th), Australia (4th), and Belgium (3rd and reigning gold medalists). Australia has been a significant challenge, having defeated India 7-1 at the Tokyo Olympics and 7-0 at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
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PV Sindhu's comeback: PV Sindhu, ranked 12th in the world, had a challenging 2023 due to a knee injury. She has shown promise recently, reaching the final of the Malaysia Masters. Sindhu could face He Bing Jiao in the round of 16 and reigning gold medalist Chen Yu Fei in the semifinals.
Satwik and Chirag's challenge: The men's doubles pair, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, are among the top contenders. They might face Chinese top seeds Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang in the semifinals, against whom they have a 1-5 win-loss record.
Nikhat Zareen's tough opponent: Boxing champion Nikhat Zareen, aiming for gold in the women's 50kg category, sees Turkey's Buse Naz Cakiroglu as her biggest challenge.
Vinesh Phogat's Olympic struggle: Wrestler Vinesh Phogat hopes to overcome past Olympic disappointments. She could face Japan's Yui Susaki, a dominant force with four World Championship golds, early in the competition.
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