After a best-ever haul of seven medals, including Neeraj Chopra's historic gold at the Tokyo Olympics, India will aim for another rich catch at the Paris Games.
Leading the charge once again is Neeraj, India's safest bet for an Olympic medal as he aims for a second successive gold.
Badminton star P V Sindhu also has the chance to create history if she can win her third Olympic medal, while Avinash Sable could become the first Indian runner to win an Olympic medal if he continues his remarkable form from the last couple of years.
Boxer Lovlina Borgohain and weightlifter Mirabai Chanu also have a chance to join an elite group of Indians who have won two Olympic medals.
A look at the stars who can create history in Paris:
Golden boy Neeraj set for date with history
A gold medal in Paris would elevate Neeraj's status as the greatest ever athlete in Indian sport, making him the only athlete from the country to win two individual gold medals at the Olympics.
Neeraj emerged the new superstar of Indian sport with his gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago as he ended the country's long wait for an Olympic medal in track and field.
The Indian Army subedar created Indian sporting history when he won the javelin throw with an effort of 87.58 metres to become only the second Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal after Abhinav Bindra, who won the gold medal in men's 10m air rifle shooting at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Apart from the Olympic gold, Neeraj has triumphed in every major event -- clinching gold medals in the World Athletics Championships, the Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Championships along with the prestigious Diamond League title.
Before Neeraj, India's biggest achievement in track and field at the Games were fourth-place finishes by Milkha Singh at the 1960 Olympics in Rome and P T Usha at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.
Neeraj won the silver medal at the World Athletics Championships 2022 in Oregon, US, the first Indian to win a silver medal at a world championship.
This was India's first medal -- and the second overall -- at the World Championships in 19 years, since long jumper Anju Bobby George's bronze at Paris 2003.
He is also the first Indian javelin thrower to win a gold medal at the Asian Games. He triumphed at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, with a best effort of 88.06m. He went on to successfully defend his Asian Games title, winning gold in Hangzhou last year.
Neeraj is also the first Indian to win a Diamond League meet after topping the field with a best throw of 89.08m in Lausanne in 2022. Later that year the youngster scripted another record as he became the first Indian to win the Diamond League trophy, after winning the Zurich Diamond League 2022 Final.
Another historic feat by Neeraj was becoming India's first World champion after winning the men's javelin throw in Budapest last year.
Sindhu eyes historic hat-trick!
P V Sindhu is also on the cusp of history. Another medal at the Paris Olympics will see her complete a historic hat-trick and become the first Indian to win three Olympic medals.
Sindhu is the first Indian woman and, overall, only the second Indian athlete to win two Olympic medals.
The badminton ace became the first Indian woman to win a silver medal at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 before she claimed bronze in Tokyo in 2021. Other than Sindhu, the only other Indian to have won two Olympic medals is wrestler Sushil Kumar.
There is no doubt that Sindhu is one of the finest Indian badminton players of all-time with a rich haul of five World Championships medals, including a gold in 2019.
The 28 year old, who made a comeback in February following a four-month injury lay-off, hasn't been in top form in the last couple of years.
Hoping to regain form at the Paris Games after going without a title for more than two years now, she has been training in Germany for the past month with a support staff of 12 members, including the legendary Prakash Padukone.
But Sindhu, who has the experience of competing in two Olympic Games, knows how to bring out her best game on the biggest stage. Despite her recent struggles, few would bet against her returning home with another Olympic medal.
In-form Sable eyes history in Paris
Avinash Sable is one of top medal prospects for India in Paris.
Just weeks ahead of the Olympics, 3000m steeplechase runner Sable clocked his career-best run at 8:09.91 seconds to finish a creditable sixth in the Paris Diamond League in a field boasting of all the top runners he will compete against at the Paris Games in a couple of weeks.
In the process, Sable, 29, also bettered his National record by more than a second -- breaking it for an incredible 10th time in his career.
The Maharashtra runner took up running only in 2015 after he joined the Indian Army's athletics programme. He first broke the National record in 2018 when he clocked 8:29.88s at the 2018 Open Nationals in Bhubaneswar, bettering a 30-year-old mark previously held by Gopal Saini in 1981 at the Asian Championships in Tokyo.
Since then he has been breached the National record at regular intervals to emerge as one of India's best long distance runners of all time.
By qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics, Sable became the first Indian to qualify in the steeplechase event at the Olympics since Gulzara Singh Mann in 1952, but he narrowly missed out on making it to the finals.
What threw Sable into the limelight was his silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham when he finished 0.05s slower than gold medallist Abraham Kibiwot of Kenya. This was India's first-ever steeplechase medal at the Commonwealth Games.
His aura continued to grow as he stormed to the gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games with a new Games record timing of 8:19.50, while claiming the silver in the men's 5000m.
After the heartbreaks for P T Usha and Milkha Singh, who narrowly missed out on Olympic medals, Sable has a golden opportunity to become the first Indian runner to win an elusive medal at the Olympics.
Boxer Lovlina eyes another medal in Paris
Pugilist Lovlina Borgohain's ascent continues. The 5' 10" boxer has transformed from a Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist to a serious medal contender in Paris, competing in the more natural weight class of 75kg.
Borgohain's exceptional footwork and agility, honed during her kickboxing days, are on full display at this new weight. While a slight decrease in speed is natural, it's been offset by increased punching power.
The 26 year old's dedication is evident. Since Tokyo, Borgohain has secured World Championship gold and Asian Games silver medals in the 75kg category. Currently training in Germany, she is focusing on sharpening her technique for a dominant performance in Paris.
A medal of any colour in Paris would solidify her place as India's most successful boxer and only the third Indian to win two Olympic medals. This achievement would eclipse the bronze medals of Vijender Singh (2008) and Mary Kom (2012).
However, Borgohain faces a tough challenge in her bid to repeat her Tokyo heroics, as the 75kg category is stacked with strong competitors at the Games.
Despite these hurdles, he talent, strategic weight shift and unwavering determination positions her as a legitimate threat for another Olympic medal.
Chanu targets another historic lift
Mirabai Chanu is India's lone weightlifter at the Paris Olympics.
Chanu also has a chance to create history as a medal in Paris will not only make her only the second Indian woman to win two Olympic medals but it will also firmly cement her position as India's most successful weightlifter, having also won a gold and silver at the World Championship along with two golds at the Commonwealth Games.
Chanu became only the second weightlifter to win an Olympic medal after Karnam Malleswari when she bagged the silver medal in Tokyo.
But following that historic achievement, the Manipuri lifter was laid low with injuries in the last three years. She suffered a serious hip injury while competing at the 2023 Asian Games which saw her ruled out of action for most of last year.
Chanu staged a remarkable comeback after the long lay-off, lifting a total of 184kg (81kg+103kg) to finish third in the women's 49kg Group B event of the IWF World Cup in Phuket to seal her place in the Paris Games.
Just like she stunned the world in Tokyo, she will be aiming for another historic lift in Paris.
Yarraji set for historic sprint!
Jyothi Yarraji will become the first Indian to compete in the Olympics 100m hurdles after she made it to the Paris Games through the world ranking quota.
The 24 year old, who has broken the women's 100m hurdles national record multiple times, admitted that there will be pressure during her debut Olympics but she is trying to remain calm and focussed by doing meditation.
Yarraji has taken a lot of big strides in the last couple of years. After being denied a couple of times despite breaking the national record, the youngster finally bagged the women's 100m hurdles national record with a timing of 13.23 at the Cyprus International athletics meet in Limassol in May 2022.
Yarraji went on to better the mark twice in the course of a month, lowering the mark down to 13.04s at the Harry Schulting Games in The Netherlands.
She hit the headlines at the National Games in 2022 when she beat India's top two sprinters Dutee Chand and Hima Das to win the women's 100m, with a new national record of 11.51s.
Yarraji continued her good form in 2023 winning the gold at the Asian Athletics Championships 2023 in Bangkok before she breached the women's 100m hurdles National record yet again with a 12.78 seconds finish to win the bronze medal at the FISU World University Games 2023 in Chengdu.
Yarraji's biggest achievement came the Asian Games last year when she claimed win the silver medal, clocking 12.91 in the women's 100m hurdles.
Photographs: Reuters
