Rio de Janeiro: Asian Championship and Commonwealth Games discus throw champion Vikas Gowda will spearhead 35-member Indian challenge in- the blue ribbon event of the Olympic Games- track and field competitions starting here on Saturday.
This is the largest ever Indian athletics team in the Olympic Games. and it also on these athletes to deliver the ultimate performance on this stage where it all matters.
Gowda has a tough task ahead to prove his mettle. He has been in the final round of London 2012 and expects to reach finals here too.
The tall well built Gowda , who m his Indian coach Bahadur Singh described as a "world Class" material however was having a nagging shoulder injury and one hopes and prays that he will be fully fit for his event.
About 150 elite Indian athletes were among them who were chosen to join Indian National Camp in 2015 with an aim to qualify for Summer Olympic Games 2016.
As the qualification period kicked in January 2015, three Indian athletes O P Jaisha, Lalita Babar and Sudha Singh secured places in the Marathon event at Mumbai. Walkers followed them when Devender Singh, Manish Singh Rawat, Gurmeet Singh and Sandeep Kumar achieved Olympic qualification norms in 20km walk at Asian Walking Championship in Nomi.
By the end of 2015, 12 Indian athletes had made the cut for Rio. With the dawn of 2016, more Indian athletes started to achieve qualification marks. By the time qualification deadline arrived, record number of Indian athletes had achieved qualification marks, breaking over 21 national records on the way, making 2016 as the most successful ever Indian athletics season.
Such a level of performance that as of today Renjith Maheshwary is on the 3rd rank in the World in Triple Jump while Indian men 4x400 relay team is on the 2nd rank behind USA with impressive 3:00.91s.
This is unprecedented for Indian athletes to remain among the top in the World of athletics in the month of July. Currently there are 8 Indian athletes and 3 relay teams are among the top 30 of the World.
Lalita Babar and Sudha Singh are looking stronger since their Beijing World Championship performance in the 3000m steeplechase.
Asian Games champion Seema Antil would be returning from her short training stint in Russia and expected to reach final round of Women discus throw and probably a new personal best distance which she hasn’t upped since 2004.
Men and Women 4x400m relay team are among the best in the World and are expected to reach final round and to provide challenge for the top slot.
Renjith hasn’t forgotten dreadful memories of London 2012 where he fouled all three jumps in the qualification round. As he waits for the arrival of his second child, an Olympic medal in the triple jump would be greatest gift for this family. Renjith is confident of adding at least a cm to his 17.30m jump in the Rio which would put him in contention for medal.
(The writer is a senior sports journalist)