Medals at major competitions are won by the finest of margins. At the Olympics, that margin becomes even smaller. One bad lift for a weightlifter, a missed penalty corner conversion for a hockey team or a bogey on the 17th hole for a golfer could be the difference between eternal glory and a missed chance to climb the podium.
As we head closer to the Paris Olympics, ESPN India takes a look at India's top medal contenders, what works in their favour and what they need to be wary about.
Neeraj Chopra
Who: The defending men's javelin Olympic champion, the first Indian track and field athlete to win an Olympic gold.
What works in his favour: Most of the world's top throwers have operated within the 87-89m range this year, which is precisely the range in which Neeraj excels. The fact that he has not gone past the 90m mark does not matter because he has won every major javelin event while operating within the range. It's this consistency that sets him apart from his competition. Even though he has not had too many competitions this year, his 88.36m effort at the Doha Diamond League is still the fourth-best throw of 2024.
Point of bother: Neeraj goes to Paris on the back of an adductor niggle and has only competed in three events (out of which only one had a stacked field of competitors). It surely isn't ideal that he's had only 16 in-competition throws this year, but that's part of his approach to prioritise his health over competitions this year.
'Health is paramount' - Neeraj Chopra prioritises fitness over competitions ahead of Paris Olympics
Mirabai Chanu
Who: Only the second Indian weightlifter to win a medal at the Olympics, clinched silver in Tokyo.
What works in her favour: There's only one lifter among the 12 athletes in her division who has gone past the 200kg mark this year -- a mark that Mirabai has crossed four times in her career. That gives her a realistic shot at climbing the Olympic podium once again. To do that, she needs to lift within the range of 200-210kgs, which would be achievable if she improves her snatch to 90kgs. Her target is 90kg in the snatch and 115kgs in the clean and jerk, which would give her a total of 205kgs: that should be good to stake a claim for a medal.
Point of bother: Lack of big-ticket events and numerous injuries. Mirabai has competed in only three since the start of 2023 and has suffered injuries to her wrist, shoulder and hip. Not ideal for an athlete heading into her second Olympic Games. Lack of competitive touch coupled with the demons of the past injuries could play on her mind.
Path to Paris: Mirabai Chanu goes back to basics for a shot at second Olympic medal
PV Sindhu
Who: A two-time Olympic medallist who could become India's most successful individual Olympian ever with a third medal in Paris.
What works in her favour: Sindhu is a big-tournament player. She has not had a great run in 2024 but she had a similar run in the build-up to the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2021 Tokyo Games, both times winning a medal. Sindhu's win percentage in 2024 is 62.5%, very similar to the 63% in 2016 and 62% in 2021.
Point of bother: Her comeback has been promising, but the one troubling factor has been her inability to close out matches from winning positions, which happened at the Malaysia Masters and Singapore Open. Most of her losses in 2024 can be attributed to a few bad line calls and errors under pressure, both of which she will need to address heading to Paris.
Path to Paris: Forget form, forget everything... it's time for big-game PV Sindhu
Men's Hockey Team
Who: The reigning bronze medallists from the Tokyo Olympics.
What works in their favour: It's a balanced side that has the right mixture of experience and youth and is home to some of the world's best players. Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh has been in excellent form and if skipper Harmanpreet Singh can live up to his billing as one among the world's best dragflickers, the team can be lethal. Add the creative nous of Hardik Singh to the mix and Craig Fulton's men have a good chance of being among the medallists again.
Point of bother: India will need to win their first three group games [against New Zealand, Argentina and Ireland] to ensure their chances of making it to the knockouts. Their last two games are against two tricky opponents in Belgium and Australia, which could go either way. Considering their topsy-turvy form in the run-up to the Olympics, it will be imperative for the Indian men's hockey team to notch up wins from the get-go.
India's hockey squad for Paris Olympics: Analysing the selection
Path to Paris: Indian hockey picks control over chaos in bid for Olympic glory
Lovlina Borgohain
Who: The bronze medallist in the women's 75kg at Tokyo, will compete in the 69kg in Paris and a medal would make her India's most successful boxer at the Olympics.
What works in her favour: The 75kg division is perfect for Lovlina because she won't have to worry about a gruelling weight cut the day before her bouts. She's made a smooth transition to the higher weight division, winning the World Championship and Asian Games bronze, and is boxing to her full potential now. Her speed has taken a slight dip owing to the heavier weight category, but that has been compensated by more power in her punches.
Point of bother: Lovlina heads to Paris having competed in just one event, which saw her lose two out of her bouts at the Czechia Grand Prix last month. There have been murmurs about a possible glute niggle, which explains why she's fought only three bouts in 2024. She will also be up against a stacked field in Paris, including the likes of China's Li Qiang [two-time Olympic champion] to whom she lost in the Asian Games final and in Czechia.
Path to Paris: The spotlight, and Olympic history, beckon Lovlina Borgohain
Vinesh Phogat
Who: The first Indian woman wrestler to qualify for three Olympic campaigns.
What works in her favour: Vinesh has been through it all over the last two years -- she led the protests against the former head of the Wrestling Federation of India and accused of sexual assault. She was beaten by the police, viciously trolled online, had her character completely assassinated and then injured her knee when she returned to wrestling. She chose to put aside all of that to recover in time for the Olympic Qualifiers, dropped a weight category to 50kg and won that all-important quota. Vinesh is now in the shape of her life and perhaps the hungriest she has ever been for that Olympic medal. She has nothing to lose, at the same time, everything to win.
Point of bother: She hasn't competed in the 50kg category much in recent times and the field is an unforgiving one that has the likes of four-time world champion Yui Susaki, four-time Olympic medallist Mariya Stadnik, Tokyo bronze medallist Sarah Hildebrandt and two-time World's silver medallist Dolgorjavyn Otgonjargal. The fact that she is not seeded at the Olympics will mean Vinesh will not know her opponents or path to the medals until the eve of the competition.
Path to Paris: Vinesh has already won the battle of her life. Now she faces the battle of her career
Nikhat Zareen
Who: Two-time world champion, India's most consistent boxer in this Olympic cycle. Has lost just two bouts since 2022.
What works in her favour: For starters, the fact that she has beaten everyone there is in the 52kg division. She's light on her feet, throws a mean combination of punches and has been the poster girl of Indian boxing in recent times. It also helps that she spent a considerable amount of time training and sparring with Turkish boxer Buse Naz Cakiroglu, the silver medallist in Tokyo, in April this year. Nikhat will know what to expect, should she run into Cakiroglu in the medal rounds at Paris.
Point of bother: There really isn't a lot that should trouble Nikhat, except for the fact that this will be her maiden Olympic appearance. The expectations will be high considering she is a two-time world champion and has only two losses since 2022, so it will be about how Nikhat can tune out the noise and give it her all in the ring.
Path to Paris: Why Nikhat Zareen wants that Olympic medal - and has a good shot at it
Sift Kaur Samra
Who: The world record holder in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions and reigning Asian Games champion.
What works in her favour: At 22, Sift has the world record to her name, beat the world champion to the Asian Games gold and is one of the brightest medal prospects from the Indian shooting contingent. She's among the world's best in the toughest discipline of range shooting, which is mirrored by the fact that she cleared the NEET exam that millions appear for but only 2.5% get admission through it to government medical colleges. Her biggest weapon is her ability to switch off when she's not at the shooting range, which in turn helps her give her 100% when she is holding a rifle.
Point of bother: Indian shooters' tendency to slip up at the Olympics, especially in the final rounds. It's something that will play on Sift's mind, especially considering how poorly India's shooters fared in Tokyo and Rio and the kind of expectations from the squad this time after they clinched a record 21 Olympic quotas. Sift is heading into her first Olympics and will need to find a way to navigate through the oh-so-heavy burden of expectations.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty
Who: The world's #1 doubles team until last month, India's best-ever men's doubles unit.
What works in their favour: They are India's best bet for a first badminton doubles medal at the Olympics. Sat-Chi, as they are commonly known, have time and again pushed the boundaries and established themselves as bonafide world-beaters. They know what it's like to play in big tournaments, having medalled in a majority of them, and it's hard to stop them when they're on-song.
Point of bother: Satwik has been held back by a shoulder injury that's been troubling him for a while now and the duo haven't been in great form of late. They began the year well with the French Open title and runners-up finishes at the Malaysia Open and India Open, but it's been topsy-turvy since. They made an early exit at the All England and Singapore Open and subsequently withdrew from their title defence at the Indonesia Open. The need of the hour is for Satwik to gain full fitness and for the duo to find some momentum.
Path to Paris: After historic 2023, 'hungry' Sat-Chi embrace pressure, master the mind games
Aman Sehrawat
Who: Asian champion, former world U23 champion and an Asian Games bronze medallist. The only Indian male wrestler to qualify for the Paris Games.
What works in his favour: He's got lightning-quick feet and incredible endurance, which means he will not give you a second to catch your breath. Aman's attacking approach has won many a bout, but he has also added an additional layer of defence to his game to make it more well-rounded. He's consistently been the best at what he does: he was the Asian Cadets champion, then the Asian and World U-23 champion and continued making rapid strides in the senior circuit with gold at the Asian Championships and a bronze at the Asian Games. The fact that he has spent the last 10 years training and learning from his idol -- Ravi Dahiya -- will help him emulate, if not better, Ravi's silver from Tokyo.
Point of bother: Aman's had only around 20 months on the senior circuit, hence the gravitas of the Olympics could get to him at this early stage of his career. Plus, he's the only Indian male wrestler to qualify for the Games and is competing in Ravi's weight division, so there's immense pressure on his muscular shoulders.
Path to Paris: After takedown of his idol, Aman Sehrawat wants his Olympic medal
Aditi Ashok
Who: India's best golfer in recent times. Won silver at the 2023 Asian Games, narrowly missed out on bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.
What works in her favour: Aditi is playing the best golf of her career and recently achieved her career-best ranking of 39. What's also helped is that she's added around 9-10 yards to her driving distances over the last couple of years, which has taken her game up a notch.
Plus, the India jersey brings out the best in Aditi. She was placed 41st at the Rio Olympics and went from that to a fourth-place finish in Tokyo and a silver medal at the 2023 Asian Games.
Point of bother: That she tends to slip up when it matters the most. It was this tendency that saw her miss out on a medal in Tokyo despite heading into the final day placed second. She couldn't win the gold at the Asian Games despite being in prime position to do so.
Path to Paris: Aditi Ashok has form and experience, can she shake off big-event bogey?