The diminutive N Kunjarani Devi, the oldest woman lifter in the fray at 36, will set the tempo for India's medal hunt in the Olympic weightlifting event when competition gets underway at the Nikaia Olympic Hall in Athens on Saturday.
The Indian contingent believes that Kunjarani has an outside chance of winning a medal in the women's 48 kg category and give the country a second Olympic medal in the event after Karnam Malleswari's bronze-winning effort in Sydney four years ago.
But Kunjarani, the only Indian who will be seen in action in weightlifting on the opening day, will have to really pull off an outstanding display if she harbours any hopes of making it to the medal rostrum.
Nurcan Taylan of Turkey, Li Zhuo of China and Izabela Dragneva of Bulgaria are the top medal contenders.
Coach Pal Singh Sandhu is optimistic of a good performance from the four-member weightlifting team that undertook a few exposure trips to prepare for the Olympics.
"It is going to be very tough, but I am quite hopeful of a good performance by our lifters. They are all focused and raring to go," Sandhu said.
Kunjarani, currently ranked tenth in the world, finished fifth in the World Championships in Vancouver in November last year. She also won the gold medal in Tonga last May.
Malleswari, who did India proud at the Sydney Olympics, will be in action on August 18 in the women's 63 kg category along with Prathima Devi.
However, her performance in recent times is not very inspiring. Though she used to compete in the 75 kg category, she will feature in a lesser category this time around where she believes she has better chances for a medal.
