From Saikhom Mirabai Chanu To Nikhat Zareen – India’s Possible Medal Contenders At Asian Games 2023
New Delhi: Having 70 medals including eight gold, India would like to better their performance at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou which starts from September 23 and run till October 8. The Asian Games was originally scheduled to take place in 2022 but was postponed for a year due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Hangzhou will be the third Chinese city to host the Asian Games, after Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010. India have so far confirmed 713 athletes in close to 40 sporting disciplines at the Asian Games 2023.
Let’s take a look at some of the medal contenders at the Asian Games.
Badminton
India badminton ace HS Prannoy is in the form of his life in 2023 and stands a great chance to be at the podium in the singles event at the Asian Games 2023. The 31-year-old, who achieved a career-best rankings of No.7 earlier in the year, finished second in the just-concluded Australian Open. Earlier, he won the Malaysia Masters, and also finished in the quarterfinals of Japan Open and Taipei Open. Besides Prannoy, the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also stands a great chance to bring home a medal. The world no.2 ranked men’s doubles Indian pair has won three tournaments in this year with Swiss Open, Indonesia Open and Korea Open.
#AustraliaOpen2023 @PRANNOYHSPRI titled Runner Up!
In an incredible match against ’s Weng Hong Yang, the #TOPSchemeAthlete gave his best fight but lost 9-21, 23-21, 20-22.
Well fought Prannoy Kudos to your efforts!! pic.twitter.com/S3ZBbNMNhi
— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) August 6, 2023
Cricket
With the ODI World Cup clashing with the Asian Games, the BCCI have named a second-string Indian men’s team for the Asian Games. With the likes of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan also second young teams into the multi-sport event, the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side is expected to finish on podium. As far as women are concerned, India have named a strong squad and stand a good chance to bring home gold.
Boxing
Reigning world champion Nikhat Zareen will lead the Indian boxing contingent at the Asian Games in China. A 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Zareen qualified for the Asian Games by virtue of reaching the World Championships final in March in the 51kg category. She defeated Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Tam in the final to win her second World Championships gold. In the women’s 75kg category, Olympic bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain is favourite to win a medal. The Asian Games will also act a qualifier for the Paris Olympics 2024.
Wearing the jersey that signifies the spirit of a billion hearts. Proud. #ImpossibleIsNothing #adidasTeamIndiaJersey pic.twitter.com/HBKK2V49CT
— Nikhat Zareen (@nikhat_zareen) June 23, 2023
Weightlifting
Saikhon Mirabai Chanu (Women’s 49kg), Bindyarani Devi (Women’s 55kg) and Achinta Sheuli (Men’s 73kg) are the medal contenders for India in the Asian Games. While Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu is an automatic choice for a podium finish, 2022 Commonwealth Games medallists Bindyarani and Sheuli have the potential to finish in the top three of their respective categories.
Football
Ignored at first, the Indian men’s football team led by Sunil Chhetri will aim for a medal in the Asian Games 2023. The Indian football team are on a rise currently after winning the Intercontinental Cup and the SAFF Championship and would like to continue the momentum. The men’s team have been drawn in Group A alongside hosts China, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Ranked 99th in the latest FIFA Rankings, India are the second-best ranked team in the group behind China (80th), Myanmar (160) and Bangladesh (189).