PARIS: The flag-bearer of Indian athletics over the last three years, after he enrolled himself in Abhinav Bindra‘s one-in-a-billion club by winning the men’s javelin throw gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Neeraj Chopra will be the cynosure of the Indian contingent as the athletic events unfold here from Thursday.
Indians will be seen in action in both the events -the men’s and women’s 20km race walk -on the opening day to be held at the Trocadero, a temporary venue that faces the Eiffel Tower. While Akshdeep Singh, Vikash Singh and Paramjeet Singh Bisht will be at the start line in the men’s event, the only event where the country will have the full quota of athletes, Priyanka Goswami will be the lone entrant in the women’s race. She will also compete in the race walk mixed marathon as the event makes it Olympic debut on August 7.
From Day 2, the main action will shift to the iconic Stade de France for the track and field events. Parul Chaudhary will be the first of the Indians to get on the track when she competes in the women’s 5000m heats. Parul, the Asian Games gold and silver winner in the 5000m and 3000m steeplechase respectively, will be the only Indian to compete in two individual events. She will begin her steeplechase campaign on Sunday.
Neeraj vs Vadlejch
Chopra’s quest to defend his gold will likely see him in an intense battle against some of the world’s best led by Jakub Vadlejch. The Czech star is in the form of his life having won the European title last month with a giant throw of 88.65m. Chopra, who has competed in just three competitions this season, also suffered a rare defeat at the hands of Vadlech when he finished second at the Diamond League in May. The Czech is also in the No. 1 slot in the world rankings ahead of the Indian superstar.
Avinash Sable is working his way towards a creditable show in men’s 3000m steeplechase and his first round action is scheduled on Monday. It will be an uphill task for the Indian to climb the podium in a field led by defending champion Soufiane El Bakkali of Morroco and world record holder Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia. Besides Sable, the Indian fans will also be looking for another glorious performance from the men’s 4x400m relay squad. The video of them making the final at last year’s Worlds is again trending on the social media.
The relays will see star-studded action with the American men’s team, who have rarely lost except to Bahamas in 2012, to be led by Quincy Hall who clocked 44.17s in 400m last month. The Indian quartet comprising Muhammed Anas, Muhammed Ajmal, Amoj Jacob and Rajesh Ramesh are not on their opponents radar yet but if they can clock another sub-three minute mark, then the focus will suddenly shift.
Among the other Indian stars, Jeswin Aldrin (men’s long jump), Praveen Chitravel (men’s triple jump), Tajinderpal Singh Toor (men’s shot put) and Annu Rani (women’s javelin throw) are all capable of making the finals if they can find their peak form at the Stade de France.
The 29-member Indian team has qualified to compete in 16 of the 48 medal events.
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