CHENNAI: THE Tokyo Olympics turned out to be the most successful Games for India with the country's athletes clinching seven medals including a gold, two silver and four bronze. The Covid-19 pandemic postponed the Tokyo Games by a year but India's show at the showpiece event, especially with the first ever top-of-the-podium finish in track and field, by the star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra made everyone sit up and take notice. At the same time, it has also increased expectations. Come the next quadrennial event in Paris in 2024, Indian athletes will once again be the cynosure of all eyes. But before setting the Olympic stage on fire, they need to qualify for the big-ticket event and the quest for the same has already begun. While the qualifying period for a few disciplines including athletics (marathon) and weightlifting has already started, the cycle for the remaining sports is scheduled to start soon.
Wrestlers, shuttlers in demand
Wrestling and badminton are the two disciplines that have consistently fetched Olympic medals for the country this century. And Paris, it seems, would not be different. As far as wrestling is concerned, India won two medals in Tokyo thanks to Ravi Dahiya (57kg silver) and Bajrang Punia (65kg bronze). They are again expected to be the medal contenders accompanied by other male and female wrestlers.
The qualification period for the wrestlers starts on September 16, 2023, with the World Championships wherein 90 quotas will be on offer (60 men and 30 women). Medallists in each Olympic weight category (six divisions each in men's freestyle, Greco-Roman and women's wrestling are in the Olympic programme) — a gold, a silver and two bronze — will get a quota each. Besides, a bout will be organised between the two losers of the bronze medal match and the winner will obtain the quota.
The next will be the Asian Qualifier in April 2024 with 36 places (24 men and 12 women) up for grabs. The two highest-placed wrestlers in each Olympic weight category will qualify for the Paris Games. The same will be the process during the World Qualifier scheduled in May 2024.
The only sore spot for wrestlers, however, would be the clashing of dates of the Worlds and Asian Games, which last year was postponed till September 2023 due to rising Covid cases in China. The Asiad is scheduled to be held from September 23 and October 8 even as the Worlds finishes on September 24 forcing wrestlers to choose between the two. With Olympic quotas on offer at the Worlds, it is a no-brainer which event the wrestlers will prefer.
Like previous editions, a lot will be expected from Indian shuttlers. The Ranking Period for the 'Race to Paris Ranking Lists' is from May 1, 2023 to April 28, 2024. The ‘Paris Ranking Lists’ as of April 30, 2024, will be used to award quota places in men's and women's singles events, as well as men's, women's and mixed doubles events. Once again PV Sindhu, who has won consecutive medals at the Games (silver in Rio and bronze in Tokyo), is expected to spearhead India's challenge with rising shuttler Lakshya Sen and tenacious HS Prannoy also in medal contention.
Can Mirabai make it two in a row?
The period for the Olympic Qualification Ranking (OQR) in weightlifting has already started with the Tokyo silver-medallist Mirabai Chanu winning her second Worlds medal, this time silver, in Bogota, Colombia early in December. A lot will ride on her if India hopes to start their campaign with a bang in Paris as it did in Tokyo. Jeremy Lalrinnunga and Achinta Sheuli, both Commonwealth Games gold-medallists, will have to outdo each other as only one of them can qualify for the Games in 73kg.
Of the 12 athletes in each of the 10 weight categories, five for men and five for women, 10 will earn their places from a ranking list compiled during the qualifying period. Only the best single performance will count, but athletes are compelled to participate in at least five out of seven qualifying competitions.
"Those who can make it to the Olympics will now compete only in selected events. Most of them are doing rehabilitation at the moment," Vijay Sharma, India's chief weightlifting coach, told this daily.
The Indian lifters are presently camping at the NIS Patiala.
"The next qualifying event for Indian lifters is the 2023 Asian Championships in Jinju, South Korea from May 3 to 13. After that we will compete in two mandatory events — the 2023 IWF World Championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from September 2 to 17, and the 2024 IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand from April 2 to 11. Our lifters will also compete at the 2023 IWF Grand Prix II (Doha, Qatar) early in December and then one event out of five specified tournaments will be chosen," added the coach.
Neeraj best bet in athletics
Given the history he has been creating ever since pocketing the gold in Tokyo, reigning Olympic champion Chopra will again be the center of attraction when the track and field competitions start in Paris. Athletes will qualify in two ways for the 2024 Games, with 50 percent of qualification places based on achieving the entry standard for an event within the qualification period, and the remaining 50 per cent based on the World Athletics Ranking within the ranking period.
The qualification and ranking period for all individual events — other than the 10,000m, marathon, combined events and race walks — will be between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024. For the 10,000m, combined events, race walks and relays, the qualification and ranking period will be between December 31, 2022, and June 30 2024, while for the marathon, the period will be between November 1, 2022, and April 30, 2024. In the javelin, 32 quotas will be allotted each in the men's and women's sections. The entry standard for male javelin throwers is 85.50m while it is 64.00m for their women counterparts.
Boxing is another discipline where India can expect medals. Lovlina Borgohain bagged 69kg bronze in Tokyo and the same will be expected this time with world champion Nikhat Zareen also in the fray. The Indian boxers' pathway to the Games begins with the Asian Games. They then have two world qualification tournaments in 2024 as per the new system approved by the executive board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).To surmise, it's going to be an action-packed 18 months or so for India's elite as they try to rubber-stamp their Paris ticket.
