New Delhi: India have named a 117-strong contingent for the Paris Olympics 2024 and will be hoping to better their medals tally from Tokyo 2020 where they bagged a total of 7 medals, including a solitary gold. India’s contingent has a great mix of youth and experience and the expectations are high from the athletes, who will be bidding to make their country proud at the showpiece event.
14-year-old swimmer Dhinidhi Desinghu is the youngest Indian set to take part in the Paris Olympics 2024 while tennis great Rohan Bopanna is the oldest to represent India at the Games at the age of 44. Bopanna will be pairing up with world no. 62 N Sriram Balaji in Paris while Dhinidhi will be competing in the women’s 200m freestyle event.
Dhinidhi Desinghu: The youngest Indian athlete at Paris Olympics 2024
14-year-old Dhinidhi qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024 after being awarded the Universality quota by the Olympic Games Tripartite Commission. She will be India’s youngest athlete competing at the Paris Games and will be hoping to script history by finishing on the podium to become the youngest Olympic medallist from the country.
Dhinidhi is currently in ninth grade in school but is already on the path to greatness in swimming by qualifying for her maiden Olympics at such a tender age. She will be in action in the women’s 200m freestyle event in Paris. This is not the first time that Dhinidhi will be in action in a major event as the teenager has already competed in the 2022 Asian Games and the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha.
Despite being just 14, Dhinidhi will not be the youngest to represent India at the Olympics as the record is held by Aarti Saha, who competed in the Helsinki Olympics in 1952 at the age of just 11.
Rohan Bopanna: India’s oldest athlete at Paris Olympics 2024
Bopanna will be making his third appearance in an Olympics at the Paris Games and will be looking to bag his maiden medal. At 44, he is the oldest athlete in the Indian contingent for the Paris Olympics. He will pair up with his partner Balaji and the duo will be gunning for a medal for India in the men’s doubles.
Bopanna, who failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics 2020, made it to Paris thanks to his world no.4 ranking. Bopanna will be heading into the Paris Olympics 2024 high on confidence having enjoyed a brilliant run on the ATP tour.
Earlier this year, the Indian tennis great became the oldest man to win a Grand Slam when he and his partner – Australian Matthew Ebden won the men’s doubles title at the Australian Open 2024. The pair also made it to the semi-finals at the French Open 2024.
Bopanna is yet to win a major title with his partner Balaji but the duo will be hoping to put on a strong show at the Paris Olympics 2024. The 44-year-old’s first appearance at the Olympics came in 2012 when he paired with Mahesh Bhupati. The pair were eliminated from the second round in men’s doubles.
Bopanna played with Leander Paes in men’s doubles at the Rio Olympics in 2016. The pair bowed out from the opening round. However, Boppanna closely missed out on a medal in mixed doubles as he and his partner Sania Mirza lost the bronze medal match against Lucie Hradecka and Radek Stepaneck of the Czech Republic.
India have a great mix of youth and experience in their contingent for the Paris Olympics 2024. Here is all you need to know about India’s youngest and the oldest athlete at the games. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
