Athletes who have qualified for Tokyo 2020
India the country of 1.3 billion people, has historically struggled to make a mark in the Olympic games. But, in the last decade or so, especially after Abhinav Bindra's gold medal, efforts have been made to improve the nation's performance in one of the biggest sporting events in the world. Indian athletes bagged three medals in 2008, record six in 2012 but came down to just two in Rio.
However, one positive was that the number of athletes from India in the Olympics had risen from 67 in Beijing to 117 in Rio. A lot is expected Indian athletes in the next year's Olympics, with a number of medal hopefuls. So far 11 Indians have booked a ticket to Tokyo 2020.
Let us take a look at these 11 athletes:
MEN'S 20KM WALK
K.T IRFAN
Irfan Kolothum Thodi is an Indian athlete from Malappuram, Kerela. He qualified for the London 2012 Olympics in the 20 km walk event.
He was suspended from 2018 commonwealth games and sent home along with fellow athlete Rakesh Babu for violating the no-needle policy. A cleaner found a syringe in the duo's room and when questioned by Australian anti-doping officials, the pair gave unreliable and evasive evidence.
He will participate in the men's 20 km race walking. The 29-year-old was the first Indian track and field athlete to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic back in march. Irfan clocked for 1 hour 20 minutes 57 seconds at the 2019 Asian race walking championship in Japan to clear the Olympic qualification criteria by just 3 seconds. He finished 11th in the competition 2 minutes 42 seconds behind the gold medallist. Irfan has previously participated at the London Olympics where he finished 10th. But, he set the national record of 1 hour 20 minutes and 21 seconds.
ARCHERY
After a no-show at the Rio Olympics, the men's archery team made sure that they do not miss the chance of getting into the Tokyo Olympics 2020. The team of Atanu Das, Tarundeep Rai, and Pravin Jadhav qualified for the Olympic with an exceptional performance at the 2019 World Archery Championship.
ATANU DAS
TARUNDEEP RAI
PRAVIN JADHAV
The team needed to make it to the quarterfinal to book an Olympic birth and the did it almost effortlessly with a 5-1 victory against Norway and 5-3 against Canada. Das, Rai, and Jadhav did not stop them as they made it to the final of the competition, where they faced china. Despite a 2-6 defeat against the Chinese archery team, India returned with a silver medal in the competition.
India's women's archery team, on the other hand, failed to make it to the Olympics in the world championship. But, Deepika Kumari and co will get a shot in the qualification round in November in the Asian continental qualification tournament.
SHOOTING
After hockey and wrestling, shooting has got most medals for India in the Olympics. And interestingly all of them had come in the 21st century. Rajyavardha Rathore won the first medal in shooting in 2004, Abhinav Bindra's historic gold came in 2008, followed by Vijay Kumar's silver and Gagan Narang's bronze in 2012.
India expects a lot more medals from Tokyo Olympics 2020 and there are signs already as 7 participants had already qualified for the Olympic game next year.
ANJUM MOUDGIL AND APURVI CHANDELA (10M AIR RIFLE)
Anjum Moudgil is an Indian sport shooter. She is from Chandigarh and represents Punjab.
Anjum took up shooting while studying in Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School in Chandigarh. She completed her graduation and post-graduation in humanities from DAV college, Chandigarh. She completed her Masters in sports psychology. She is an avid abstract artist and has sold many of her artworks.
She became a Sub Inspector (SI) with Punjab police, India
Apurvi Singh Chandela (born 4 January 1993) is an Indian sport shooter who competes in the 10-meter air rifle event. She won the gold medal in the 2019 ISSF World cup in new Delhi.
Chandela was born in Jaipur. Her father is Kuldeep Singh Chandela, a hotelier, and mother is Bindu Rathore. She did her schooling from Mayo College Girls SchoolAjmer & Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls' School, Jaipur. She studied Sociology honors from JMC college, New Delhi
Anjum Moudgil and Apurvi Chandela were the ones to get the ball rolling for India in the Tokyo Olympics. They were the first two Indian athletes to qualify for the Olympics. At the 2018 World Championship, where the top 4 qualify for the Olympics, the duo made the most of the opportunity.
Anjum won a silver medal with a score of 248.4 while Apurvi finished fourth with 207 points.
It was the first time in the history that 2 Indian players qualified for Olympics in the same competition.
ANJUM MOUDGIL
APURVI CHANDELA
SAURABH CHAUDHARY (10M AIR PISTOL)
Saurabh Chaudhary is an Indian sport shooter. He won the gold medal at the 2018 Asian games championship in 10m air pistol. He was the youngest Indian gold medalist at the Asian Games. He had earlier won gold medals and set a new junior world record in the ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl, Germany. He is the only Indian shooter to win a gold medal in ISSF World Championship, ISSF World Cup, Youth Olympic Games, Asian Games, and Asian Air Gun Championship. He broke his own world record with a score of 245.5 and claimed gold in Junior Men 10m Air Pistol at the 2018 World Championship in Changwon, Korea.
This 17-year-old boy had set the stage on fire with his performance from the last 2 years. He won a gold medal from the last 2018 youth Olympics and became the youngest Indian gold medallist in the Asian Games.
Chaudhary qualified for the 2020 Olympics by winning the gold medal in the 2019 ISSF world cup in New Delhi. He followed with another gold medal in the third face of the world cup in Munich, where he broke the world record and world junior record with a score of 246.3 in the 10m air pistol.
ABHISHEK VERMA (10M AIR PISTOL)
Abhishek Verma (born 1 August 1989) is an Indian sport shooter. In 2019 Beijing won a Gold medal in Men's 10-meter air pistol. At 2018 Jakarta palembang he won a bronze medal in Men's 10-meter air pistol.
India's second participant in the 10m air pistol event Verma also booked his seat at the Tokyo Olympics with a gold medal in the second phase of the ISSF world cup in Beijing. The 29-year-old had won a bronze medal at the 2018 Asian games.
DIVYANSH SINGH PANWAR (10M AIR RIFLE)
Divyansh Singh Panwar is an Indian sport shooter. He won the silver medal in the 10m air rifle event at the 2019 ISSF world cup in Beijing and secured a quota position for India at the 2020 summer Olympics.
Yet another wonder kid a 16-year-old boy who booked his seat in the Tokyo Olympics by winning a silver medal in the ISSF world cup in New Delhi. Divyansh who trains at the same shooting range in Rajasthan where Olympic champion Rajyavardha Rathore once did, missed the gold by 0.4 points.
RAHI SARNOBAT (25M PISTOL)
Rahi Jeevan Sarnobat is a female athlete from India who competes in the event of 25 m pistol shooting. She won her first gold medal at the 2008 commonwealth youth games in Pune, India. She is the first woman to win a gold medal in shooting in an Asian Games for India, she won the Gold at 2018 Jakarta Palembang in Women's 25-meter pistol event. She had won two gold medals in 2010 commonwealth games in New Delhi first of the two golds in 25m pistol event in pair with Anissa Sayeed.
After missing her shot at the Rio Olympics due to an injury Rahi decided to book a place in the Tokyo Olympics. The 28-year-old won the gold medal in the ISSF world cup in Munich and will be on her flight to the Olympics for the second time. Back, in 2012 she was the only Indian shooter to qualify for Olympics and came to the 19th position. But, this time she is totally set for winning a medal with ample experience from the commonwealth and Asian medal under her belt.
MANU BHAKER (10M AIR PISTOL)
Manu Bhaker is an Indian professional sport shooter. She represented India at the 2018 ISSF world cup and won two gold medals. She is the youngest Indian to win a gold medal at the ISSF World Cup. She won the gold medal in women's 10 m air pistol event at 2018 commonwealth games. just at the age of 16 in her maiden Commonwealth Games appearance.
It is safe to say that the future of India is in safe hands. After all, Manu is the third teenager to qualify for the Olympics. Manu had an exceptional 2018 with gold and silver in youth Olympics and gold at the commonwealth games and two gold medals at the ISSF world cup.
But, in the 2019 world cup she had to miss out on a podium and settle for the 4th place after an equipment failure. But destiny is a funny thing. With 2 Olympic berths to grab from manu's event, the gold and bronze medallist had already qualified for the Tokyo in 2018. So, along wioth silver medallist Manu already got the ticket to Japan.
