India's biggest contingent faces biggest challenge at Rio

New Delhi: The early excitement about India sending its largest-ever contingent in the Olympics has been dented a bit with doping scandal involving wrestler Narsingh Yadav, athlete Inderjeet Singh and lukewarm performance of the Indian men’s hockey team against Spain in the warm up matches. In London, India had sent 83 sportspersons to take part in 13 disciplines and this time for the Rio Games, number has gone up to 119 for 15 disciplines. This time the number got bloated due to the inclusion of Women’s hockey team (16) which has qualified  after 36 years and astonishing number of track and field athletes -- 36 (19 men and 17 women) -- making the cut. In 2012, only 14 (8 men and 6 women) had qualified for the track and field event. Golf is making the debut while a woman gymnast has also qualified. In all, India will take part in athletics, archery, badminton, boxing, golf, gymnastics, hockey (men and women), judo, rowing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling. According to the Sports Ministry and Sports Authority of India (SAI), who have made huge investment in the preparations of the teams for the Games, the country is likely to win over 10 medals. In London, Indian medal tally was six -- two silver medals through Vijay Kumar (shooting) and Sushil Kumar (wrestling), and four bronze medals through Saina Nehwal (badminton), Mary Kom (boxing), Gagan Narang (shooting), Yogeshwar Dutt (wrestling). This time three London Games medal winners Vijay, Sushil and Mary Kom failed to make the cut. Though India won more medals at 2012 London Games (2 silver, 4 bronze) than 2008 Beijing Games (one gold, 2 bronze), it dropped from the 50^th place to 55^th on the leader board owing to its failure to secure a gold in the previous Games. Had it won a gold medal, India could have finished in top-40 nations. “Our projection of India getting into double-digit medal tally this time is based on the assessment of the athletes who have qualified for the Games,” says SAI Director General Injiti Srinivas. However, the senior IAS officer was pragmatic enough to understand that there could be no final statement till the competition is over. “What happens on that particular day is something none of us can predict, but we should achieve this target,” he said. In all, the Olympic sports based International competitions like Asian Games, Commonwealth Games or World Cup, Hockey attracts the most attention of the Indians and this time is no exception. India are in a tough Pool “B” along with Germany, Holland, Argentina, Ireland and Canada, while Pool “A” comprises Australia, Belgium, Britain, Spain, New Zealand and Brazil. The first round will be played on round robin league basis. Top four teams in each pool will qualify for the quarter-finals, which will be played on knock out basis. “We are hopeful that our team will make it to the knock out round and after that it can be anybody’s chance,” Srinivas opined. His assessment is based on the assumption that India will at least finish fourth beating Ireland and Canada even if it loses to three other teams. However, experts have different take on this. They feel that to underestimate Ireland, against whom India are playing their first match, will be fatal. “Ireland have the best goalkeeper in the World. They have made it to the Olympics after 100 years and they are not going to give up easily. Like we are eyeing fourth place in our group, they must also be thinking on those line.” The women’s hockey team, which is talking part in the Olympics after a gap of 36 years is in a very tough group B along with Australia, Argentina, Britain, USA and Japan. Group A comprises China, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, South Korea and Spain. Though this time a record eight wrestlers have qualified (in London five had qualified), their preparation has been marred by an unnecessary controversy involving Sushil kumar and Narsingh Pancham Yadav category. Narsingh Yadav was the first Indian (in any sports) to quaify for the Rio games after he finished with Bronze medal in the World Championships last year. Sushil, who has won medals in 66 kg category in Olympics, did not go to World Championships because of shoulder injury. However, Yadav’s hopes of representing the country in 74 kg category suffered a setback because of him tested positive to a banned substance. That he alleged a conspiracy is a different subject but that fiasco has done no good to the morale of other grapplers. The qualifying of large number of athletes, especially at the fag end of the deadline has raised eyebrows. As many as 13 athletes booked  their berth in the men's and women's 4x400m relay, men's triple jump, men's 200m and men's 800m in just two days ( July 10 and 11) at the Sree Kanteerava stadium in Bengaluru. The track and field contingent will be under the radar on and off the field at Rio and they have to be very careful. All eyes will be on 12 member shooting squad and once again focus will be on Beijing Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra. Other medal hopefuls are Gagan Narang and Jitu Rai. NRAI chief Raninder Singh is confident of much better showing by the shooters this time. “Since 2004 Athens Olympics, Shooters are doing well in Olympic. In last three Olympics, we have won one gold, two silver and a bronze medal. I think this time we will do much better.” Other lesser focused sports – Gymnastic has a new heroine in Dipa Karmarkar. She has the distinction of being the first Indian woman gymnast to qualify for the Olympics. She was also the first Indian female gymnast to win a medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and a bronze at the Asian Championships in Hiroshima. She also reached the final round of the 2015 World Championships and finished fifth. In the Olympic qualifier, Dipa's first vault, the extremely difficult Produnova — a double frontal vault — gave her 15.066 points, the highest among 14 competitors. “I learnt the double vault for three months before the 2014 Commonwealth Games; others do it for years before even trying it out in competition,” she said. “If she continues like this, maintains her form, I will not be surprised if she surprises others with a podium finish. She has all the talent. She needs a bit of luck and push at Rio” said Srinivas. In tennis, the medal hopes are from mixed doubles pair of Sania Mirza and Rohan Boppana. While in men’s doubles, Paes will create a record for himself by playing in his record 7th successive Olympics. Indian table tennis has never managed to attain the maximum singles quota limit of four players – two men and two women – in the event for the Olympics before. Head coach Bhawani Mukherji claims that getting full quota this time was no accident, but in fact a result of introducing a relatively new ‘Indianised style’ of table tennis. “This new style is good,” he says. In Badminton, country’s main hopes are Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu. There performance this season has been tentative and the defeats they suffered at the hands of Chinese in the Uber Cup must have affected their confidence. SAI  DG went a bit further in saying that “seeing the recent showing of athletes and golfers I am prepared to stick my neck out that we will better our performance (from 2012 Olympics).” "Because our performance is not predominant in measurable events such as athletics, it is difficult to predict the number of medals we will win. But, going by form, we are expecting a double-digit figure performance. Anything below that will be disappointing,” Srinivas added.