Paris Olympics: Who Can Win India's First Medal At 2024 Summer Games?

Optimism is the buzzword in the world's most populous country with the medal tally predicted to touch double digits for the first time. And India can win its first medal on Day 1 (July 27) itself.

The 33rd Summer Games will officially start with the Opening Ceremony on July 26 but archery, football, handball, and rugby sevens will have seen some action by the time the Olympic Cauldron is lit.

Predicting India's first medalists at Paris 2024

At the Paris Olympic Games 2024, India's best medal prospects are shooters. A team of 21 shooters will compete in 15 medal events, and if their world standings are considered, majority of the them could potentially return with medals.

On the first day of the shooting competitions (on July 7), Indian shooters will be in action in three events -- mixed 10m air rifle team, men's 10m air pistol and women's 10m air pistol. Of the three, the mixed event will have the medal round on the same day.

Who will represent India in the mixed 10m air rifle team event?

Two Indian pairs, Sandeep Singh/Elavenil Valarivan and Arjun Babuta/Ramita Jindal, will be in the fray. And both teams have strong medal chances.

Sandeep Singh, 28, enters the competition as the 16th-ranked men’s 10m air rifle shooter in the world. His shooting partner, Elavenil Valarivan, 26, is currently ranked 20th. Arjun Babuta, 25, is ranked 14th while his partner, Ramita Jindal, 20, is 19th.

Mixed 10m air rifle team action at Paris 2024 starts with the qualification round at 12:30 pm IST with the medal rounds at 2:00 pm. The shooting events are being held at the National Shooting Center in Chateauroux, the capital city of the French department of Indre from July 27 to August 5.

In the previous edition, Indian pairs of Divyansh Singh Panwar/Elavenil Valarivan and Deepak Kumar/Anjum Moudgil finished 12th and 18th, respectively.

Indian shooters and their events at Paris 2024

Rifle

Men’s 10m air rifle: Sandeep Singh, Arjun Babuta;

Women’s 10m air rifle: Elavenil Valarivan, Ramita Jindal;

Women’s 50m rifle 3 positions: Sift Kaur Samra, Anjum Moudgil;

Men’s 50m rifle 3 positions: Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Swapnil Kusale;

10m air rifle mixed team: Sandeep Singh/Elavenil Valarivan, Arjun Babuta/Ramita Jindal

Pistol

Men’s 10m air pistol: Sarabjot Singh, Arjun Cheema;

Women’s 10m air pistol: Manu Bhaker, Rhythm Sangwan;

Men’s 25m rapid fire pistol: Anish Bhanwala, Vijayveer Sidhu;

Women’s 25m pistol: Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh;

10m air pistol mixed team: Sarabjot Singh/Manu Bhaker, Arjun Singh Cheema/Rhythm Sangwan

Shotgun

Men’s trap: Prithviraj Tondaiman;

Women’s trap: Rajeshwari Kumari, Shreyasi Singh;

Men’s skeet: Anantjeet Singh Naruka;

Women’s skeet: Maheshwari Chauhan, Raiza Dhillon;

Skeet mixed team: Anantjeet Singh Naruka/Maheshwari Chauhan

Watch Indian shooters chase their Olympic dreams on Sports18. Live streaming of the Paris Olympic Games will be available on JioCinema.