Indian athletes are all set to demonstrate their impeccable sporting prowess at the Paris Olympics. Sporting communities have been meticulously prepping to bring their 'A' game and make the nation proud. This can be seen in the splendid zealous spirit portrayed at qualifying events across different sports, from track and field to martial arts. Conquering all gender barriers and other societal obstacles, women in sports have showcased incomparable athleticism to qualify for the Olympics. Here is a list of the women athletes who have made it to the Paris Games 2024.
Archery
Deepika Kumari
Archery legend Deepika Kumari from Jharkhand has qualified for her fourth time at the Olympics. Confident in the Indian contingent's chances at the Paris Games, the seasoned athlete told JioCinema's The Dreamers in an interview, "The strength of any team lies in its communication and combination. It’s essential to support each other in various situations. We talked a lot and discussed how to handle different scenarios. Clear communication, especially in tough situations, is a huge strength for us."
Bhajan Kaur
Bhajan Kaur secured India's first women's individual recurve archery berth for the Paris Olympics 2024. On June 16, the 18-year-old secured a gold medal at the final world qualifying tournament in Antalya. Kaur is the second Indian archer to qualify for the Paris Games, following Dhiraj Bommadevara in the men's event.
Ankita Bhakat
The 26-year-old archer started her career in 2017 and has made a big name for herself in the Indian sports landscape. She is making her Olympic debut at the Paris Games 2024. Coached by Baek Woong Ki at the national level and Lim Chae Woong at the club level, Bhakat has represented India at the World Championships, where she won Gold in the under-21 category, and the Asian Games, where she won Bronze.
Swimmer Dhinidhi Desinghu
As a kid, Dhinidhi Desinghu 'hated' water and refused to enter a pool. However, her parents encouraged her to learn swimming so she could make more friends in the class. Fast forward to 2024, she is a swimming prodigy representing India at the Paris Games. The 14-year-old is the youngest athlete in the Indian contingent and was selected in the Women's 200m category through the university quota. The Bengaluru-native athlete has also participated in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China and is already preparing for the LA 2028 Games.
Badminton
PV Sindhu
PV Sindhu will be the female flagbearer of the Indian contingent at the Paris Games 2024. The 29-year-old Badminton legend will be playing representing India in the Women's Singles match. Sindhu is the only Indian woman athlete to have won two Olympic medals. She grabbed the silver medal in the women's singles at the 2016 Rio Olympics and followed that with a bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Tanisha Crasto- Ashwini Ponnappa (Doubles)
The duo of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa was selected for the badminton doubles at the Paris Olympics in April 2024. They were ranked 20th overall in the Race to Paris index and are the 12th eligible pair for the Olympic berth. Despite an age gap of over 13 years, the pair has emerged as one of India's best doubles players.
Sailor Nethra Kumanan
Chennai-origin sailor Nethra Kumanan booked a berth to Paris in April 2024, under the Emerging Nations Program banner at the Last Chance Regatta, an Olympic qualifier, in Hyeres, France. The Emerging Nations Program by the organisation World Sailing reserves a place for sailors from lesser-known sailing nations to make an impact at the top level. Kumanan is the first woman from India to ever qualify for the Olympics, as she competed in the Tokyo Games three years ago and managed 67 net points to finish fifth on the overall leaderboard.
Athletics
Jyothi Yarraji: Hurdles
Jyothi Yarraji made history as she became the first Indian to qualify for the Olympic Women's 100-metre hurdles through the world ranking quota. In May 2024, the national record holder clocked an impressive 12.87 seconds at the Harry Schulting Games in Vught, Netherlands. While she failed to meet the Olympic qualifying time of 12.77 seconds, her impressive performance and consistency secured her the 34th place in the 40-member qualification list released by the World Athletics on July 2.
Priyanka Goswami: Racewalk, marathon race walk mixed relay
Pioneering Indian racewalker Priyanka Goswami qualified for the Paris Olympics Women's 20km category. In April 2024 at the 18th in the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships in Antalya, Turkiye, he and Akshdeep Singh registered a timing of 3:05:03 to finish inside the top 20. The marathon mixed relay event is a new category making its debut at the Paris Olympics and Goswami will be teaming up with Suraj Panwar. In 2022, Priyanka Goswami made history as the first Indian woman to win a medal for race walk after clinching silver at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Parul Chaudhary: Steeplechase
In August 2023, Parul Chaudhary booked her place in the Paris Olympics and set a new national record as she secured the 11th in the women's 3000m steeplechase finals at the World Athletics Championships in Hungary. She showcased her prowess by clocking an individual best time of 9:24.29 seconds.
Kiran Pahal: Women's 400m race
On June 27, 2023, 23-year-old athlete Kiran Pahal made history as she clocked the second-best timing in Women's 400m in India, clocking an impressive 50.92 seconds at the inter-state Athletics Championships in Panchkula. This significance booked her a berth at the Paris Olympics and also marked her career-best performance.
Annu Rani: Women’s Javelin Throw
Annu Ran, an eight-time national champion Annu Rani and pioneering Asian Games gold medallist, will represent India in women's javelin throw at the Paris Games. The 31-year-old athlete from Uttar Pradesh holds the women's national record for a 63.82m attempt, which she set at the Indian Open Javelin Throw Competition held in 2022.
Ankita Dhyani: Women’s 5000m
Uttarakhand native Ankita Dhyani made the Olympic cut earlier in July 2024 through the world ranking quota. The 5000m athlete claimed the 42nd spot on the qualification list published by World Athletics. The 22-year-old secured a bronze medal at the Asian Championships 2023. Her personal-best timing is 15 minutes, 28.08 seconds, recorded at the Track Fest in Los Angeles, USA in May 2024.
Vithya Ramraj, M R Poovamma, Jyothika Sri Dandi and Subha Venkatesan ( Women’s 4x400m relay)
M R Poovamma represented India at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Jyothika Sri Dandi was a part of the Indian mixed 4×400 relay team that scripted a national record and won the gold medal at the first edition of the Asian Relay Championships earlier in 2024. Subha Venkatesan from Trichy, Tamil Nadu, trained at the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu’s (SDAT) Centre in Chennai. Vithya Ramraj from Tamil Nadu won bronze at the Asian Games last year equalled a national record set by the veteran athlete PT Usha.
Judoka Tulika Maan
On June 25, Judo champion Tulika Maan became the 100th Indian to officially secure a spot at the Paris Olympics 2024. She grabbed the continental quota, reserved for athletes who secure the most points across all genders in the continent. Maan, who has racked up 1345 points from June 2022 to June 2024, ranking 36th, will compete in the +78kg category.
Shooting
Shreyasi Singh
On June 21, Shreyasi Singh was included in the 21-member Indian shooting squad that would compete in Paris Olympics. The experienced shooter and MLA of Jamui, Bihar, will be starting in the women's trap event at the Summer Games. The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) announced the 32-year-old's selection after getting the go-ahead from the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), which accepted the NRAI's request for a quota swap.
Elavenil Valarivan
In January 2024, sport shooter Elavenil Valarivan grabbed a gold medal at the Asian Olympic qualifiers in Jakarta. In May, she and Ramita Jindal consolidated their position by placing 1-2 in women’s air rifle at the Olympic shooting trials at Madhya Pradesh Academy. Valarivan, from Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu, has represented India at the Tokyo Olympics.
Boxing
Jaismine Lamboria
Jaismine Lamboria became the first woman from the Indian Army to qualify for the Olympics, as she defeated Marine Camara of Mali with a 5-0 scoreline in the qualifiers on June 2. She gained a quota in the women's 57 kg category, reclaiming India's spot after Parveen Hooda was suspended for a whereabouts failure in May 2024.
Nikhat Zareen
Two-time World Champion Nikhat Zareen sealed her Paris Olympics quota in September 2023, after years of prepping for the day. The 27-year-old Asian Games bronze medallist has been one of India's most consistent boxers, as she has lost two bouts in her career so far. She is on a mission to be the first Indian woman boxer to win either Olympic gold or silver.
Golf
Aditi Ashok
Aditi Ashok is set to represent India for the third time at the Olympics. The Indian Golf Union, which oversees the qualification process, states that players are required to be among the top 60 in the world according to the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) to secure their spots. Ashok holds a commendable ranking of 46. Ashok secured fourth place at the previous Olympics at Tokyo in 2021, and already set a high bar for performance.
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