April is set to be a thrilling month for Indian sports enthusiasts,as a number of Olympic qualification events are scheduled to take place across various sports. These events will provide crucial opportunities for athletes to secure their spots and represent their countries at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.
So far India has qualified 58 athletes across 9 different sports, with shooting being the top sport in number of qualifications with 19, followed by Hockey with 16 and Athletics with 9 athletes qualified.
The number is set to increase with a slew of Qualification events lined up for this month. Let’s take a quick look at those:
SHOOTING
1) Rifle/Pistol Final World Qualifiers,11-20 April:
India has already won 15/16 available quotas in the Rifle/Pistol events, with a solitary quota remaining in the Women’s 10m Air Pistol event.
2) Shotgun Final World Qualifiers,19-29 April: India has won 4/8 quotas in shotgun, one in each event and will be looking to add additional quotas to the tally. Shotgun particularly has not been an area where indian shooters excels or dominates, so winning a quota or two here will be tough.
TABLE TENNIS
1)Mixed Doubles World Qualifiers,11-12 April:
Sathiyan/Manika will be vying for a mixed doubles spot through this event,as their chances of qualifying through the rankings looks bleak to say the least.
Semi finalists of this event will qualify for Paris, and with Powerhouses like China, South Korea and Japan not participating Sathiyan/Manika’s job gets a little bit easier but not a cakewalk by any means.
WRESTLING
1)Asian Olympic Qualifiers,19-21 April:
Wrestling has underperformed a bit in recent times, with only a single Indian wrestler managing to win an Olympic quota. This number can increase this month, courtesy of the Asian Qualifiers,where 2 Quotas are on offer in each category.
India is sending a strong squad for the event and we can definitely expect them to come back with a couple of Quotas atleast.
Eyes will be on Vinesh Phogat(Women’s 50kg),Aman Sehrawat (Men’s 57kg freestyle),Deepak Punia(Men’s 86kg freestyle) and Anshu Malik(Women’s 57kg),who are strong contenders for the qualification spots. Don’t be surprised if India comes back with more than 4 quotas, watch out for Nisha Dahiya and Reetika Hooda as well.
FENCING
1)Asian Oceania Zonal Qualification Tournament,27-28 April:
In Tokyo India qualified a lone fencer in Bhavani Devi, and can expect to have a representative in fencing this time as well. The Zonal Qualification event offers one Quota in each category,which means a fencer will have to win the tournament for obtaining the qualification spot.
Bhavani Devi will be the favourite in the Women’s Sabre Individual event while eyes will be on Taniksha Khatri and Karan Singh as well.
SAILING
1)Last Chance Regatta,18-27 April:
India had qualified 4 sailors in Tokyo, and the number can possibly go down this time. So far, Vishnu Sarvanan is the only sailor who has qualified for Paris,in the ILCA7 category.
Nethra Kumanan and the pair of Prince/Manu will be competing for spots in the ILCA6 and 49er categories respectively in a bid to qualify for Paris
ROWING
1)Asian Oceania Qualifiers,19-21 April:
A total of 14 Olympic quotas will be on offer across 4 different categories at the event.
India had sent two rowers to Tokyo,and while there has been no significant development in the rowing scenario post 2021,India can still expect to have a representative in Rowing at the Paris Olympics. The Squad for the event hasn’t been announced yet.
ATHLETICS
1)World Race Walk Team Championships,21 April:
The top 22 pairs at this event will obtain a quota place for the Marathon Race Walk mixed Relay event. India has till now qualified 4 athletes (3 Men,1 Women) in the Individual 20km Race walk event and will be looking to secure representation in the mixed event as well.
All in all there is a lot to look forward to through the month and exciting times ahead
Written By Deep
