The top Indian athletes across sports are ready to lock horns with the world as the biggest multi-sport event on the planet is on our horizon.
The thrilling and exciting Paris Olympics 2024 is just 11 days away, and Indian sports fans are eagerly waiting for the opening ceremony scheduled for the 26th of July.
A unique factor of any multi-sport event is the diversity of the field based on the age gap of any contingent. Similarly, at the Paris Olympics, India is sending a good mix of youth and experience.
There is a gap of 30 years between the oldest and youngest players in the Indian contingent, starting from 14-year-old Dhinidhi Desinghu in swimming to 44-year-old Rohan Bopanna in tennis.
The Bridge is looking at the three youngest and oldest athletes in the Indian contingent for the Paris Olympics 2024.
Dhinidhi Desinghu – 14 (Swimming)
The youngest member of the contingent is 14-year-old swimmer Dhinidhi from Karnataka. This will be her debut at the Olympic Games as she earned the Universality quota in the women’s 200m freestyle event.
Dhinidhi is also the national record holder in this category, having clocked a time of 2:04.24 at the 2023 Indian Championships. This tournament proved to be a breakthrough for her.
She confirmed her participation in the Asian Games after posting this national record. However, she didn’t have a great outing at the Asian Games, finishing in 12th position with a time of 2:07.10.
India’s youngest Paris Olympics player, 14-year-old Km. Dhinidhi Desinghu, student of #KV DRDO Bengaluru, met Hon’ble PM Sh. Narendra Modi in New Delhi on July 4th! She shared her journey and aspirations. All the best! ๐ฎ๐ณ #ProudKVians #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/jrYK8iedaE
โ Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (@KVS_HQ) July 9, 2024
Bhajan Kaur – 18 (Archery)
Bhajan Kaur is one of the most consistent archers in India in the women’s recurve category over the last two years. She was the first female archer to win a quota for the Paris Olympics for India after securing a gold medal at the World Qualifiers.
She was also part of the Indian women’s recurve team that won the bronze medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Additionally, she won an individual bronze medal at the World Youth Championships last year.
She recently added another medal to her tally by winning a bronze medal in the mixed team event at the final World Cup of the season in Antalya. Now, she will be aiming to end India’s long wait for an Olympic medal in this sport.
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฅ ๐ ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ณ
Indian recurve mixed team of Bhajan Kaur and Dhiraj Bommadevara won the bronze medal at Antalya World Cup after a 5๏ธโฃ-3๏ธโฃ win over Mexico! ๐๐#ArcheryWorldCup pic.twitter.com/qS5cwi46O8
โ The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) June 23, 2024
Esha Singh – 19 (Shooting)
The young pistol shooter, Esha Singh, is the youngest member of the Indian shooting contingent for the Paris Olympics. She confirmed her ticket to Paris after the domestic trials and will be competing in the women’s 25m pistol event.
Esha has been in outstanding form over the last two years, starting by becoming the world junior champion in the women’s 25m pistol category at the Cairo World Championships.
She followed this momentum and won a major senior medal at the Asian Games last year, securing the silver medal in the same category.
Here are the oldest athletes who will be representing India at Paris Games:
Rohan Bopanna – 44 (Tennis)
The iconic figure of Indian tennis, Rohan Bopanna, will be the oldest Indian athlete at the Paris Olympics. This will be his third outing at the Olympic Games, after debuting at the London Olympics in 2012.
Rohan has consistently proven that age is just a number, as he became the oldest player to be ranked world No. 1 in ATP Doubles and won his first-ever Grand Slam title in men’s doubles at the age of 43.
He won the Australian Open in 2024, becoming the world No. 1 player, which also helped him secure the men’s doubles quota for the Paris Olympics. Partnering with Sriram Balaji, he will be aiming for his first Olympic medal.
MAN OF THE HOUR. PAIR OF THE HOUR! ๐จ๐พ๐ฌ
World no.1๏ธโฃ men’s doubles pair of ๐ฎ๐ณRohan Bopanna and ๐ฆ๐บMatthew Ebden wins Australian Open 2024! The sealed the happy slam in absolute dominance [ 7โท-6โฐ, 7-5]] against ๐ฎ๐นS. Bolelli and A. Vavassori.
Records Bopanna captured in theโฆ pic.twitter.com/FVDQ25BpML
โ The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) January 27, 2024
Achanta Sharath Kamal – 42 (Table Tennis)
Sharath Kamal is the longest-serving table tennis player in India. He is the most experienced athlete in the Indian contingent, heading to his fifth Olympic Games this year in Paris.
He is currently the No. 1 player in India in the men’s singles category, ranked 40th in the world, achieving this feat after a tremendous quarterfinal run at the biggest world tour event in table tennis, the Singapore Smash.
The Indian Olympic Association has decided that Sharath will be the flagbearer of the Indian contingent in Paris this month. He will be the perfect guide for the Indian men’s team, which has qualified for the Olympics for the first time.
A very memorable tournament for me with an epic run from the Qualifiers to the Quarter Finals at the WTT Singapore Smash! A big thank you to everyone for their wishes and words of support ๐๐ฝ๐๐ฝ pic.twitter.com/Sk5tBIJQSr
โ Sharath Kamal OLY (@sharathkamal1) March 16, 2024
Tarundeep Rai – 40 (Archery)
One of the most renowned archers in India, Tarundeep Rai, is heading towards his fourth Olympics this year. He has shown impressive consistency over the last year, which also helped the Indian men’s team secure their quota.
Tarundeep has always been a key member of the Indian team, leading them to a historic gold medal this year at the World Cup Stage-1 in Shanghai, defeating the reigning Olympic champions.
India’s Men’s Team Secures Historic Gold at Archery World Cup Stage 1
India’s men’s recurve team, including Dhiraj Bommadevara, Tarundeep Rai, and Pravin Jadhav, achieved a remarkable milestone by winning gold at the Archery World Cup Stage 1 in Shanghai. Defeating South Korea,โฆ pic.twitter.com/3ziKS64USP
โ Pankaj Srivastava (@ipankajsri) April 28, 2024
Throughout his career spanning more than 20 years, Tarundeep Rai has won numerous medals, but the one major medal that has eluded him is an Olympic medal, which he will be striving hard to win at what is arguably his last chance in Paris.