Representational Image.© X (formerly Twitter)

Just a few days to go before the Olympic Games in Paris, some of the top stars of track and field will gather at the Stade Louis II in Fontvieille in Monaco for the ninth meet of the 2024 Diamond League on Friday, hoping to test their skills before the mega event. With the elite track and field event featuring several Paris 2024-bound athletes, competing in 14 Diamond disciplines, fans can expect some tough competitions before the year’s biggest sports extravaganza.

The focus will be on the men’s 400-metre hurdles event, which is expected to give viewers a taste of the Olympics finals, as it will see the three fastest runners in the discipline’s history compete in Monaco.

World record holder Karsten Warholm (Norway), 2022 Diamond League 400m hurdles champion Alison dos Santos (Brazil), and 2023 Diamond League 400m hurdles champion Rai Benjamin (United States) are set to battle it out in an eight-man field. The three have clocked the 15 fastest times in the discipline’s history and will meet for the first time since the 2023 Diamond League final where Benjamin emerged victorious.

Other track and field stars in action across disciplines feature Tokyo 2020 men’s 1500m gold medallist Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway), Tokyo 2020 men’s 110m hurdles gold medallist Hansle Parchment (Jamaica), and 2019 Diamond League women’s 100m winner Dina Asher-Smith (Great Britain) in a packed slate.

Diamond Disciplines at Monaco 2024:

Men: High jump, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 110m hurdles, 400m hurdles

Women: Javelin throw, Pole vault, Triple jump, 100m, 400m, 2000m, 5000m

The Diamond League 2024 will be held on Friday (July 12) at the Stade Louis II, Fontvieille, Monaco from 11:30 PM IST onwards.

The event will be live streamed in India on JioCinema and broadcast on TV by Sports18 – 1 (HD), Sports18 – 3.

File photo of Neeraj Chopra.© AFP

In a big announcement on Wednesday, Gautam Adani, the chairman of the Adani Group, has announced that the conglomerate will be sponsoring the Indian team travelling to Paris for the 2024 Olympics Games. With the Indian contingent in the last leg of its preparations for the 2024 Olympics, the Adani Group has pledged its whole-hearted support to the champions of the nation through a campaign with the theme #DeshkaGeetAtOlympics. The campaign centres around the athletes, who have spent hours and years in training to win and hear the national anthem after the victory.

The social media campaign has been launched even as the Indian sportspersons continue to put in the hard yards before flying out to Paris for the Olympic Games set to be held from July 26 to August 11.

The campaign, anchored by an inspiring film, encapsulates the relentless dedication of Indian athletes and reignites the feeling of patriotism amongst the audiences as India’s best athletes take centrestage once again.

The film showcases India’s top sporting talent sweating it out as they prepare to head to Paris, aiming to surpass the Tokyo Olympics ‘medal haul and earn the honour of hearing the national anthem at one of the most anticipated global sporting events. In the last Olympics, India finished with a record tally of 7 medals, Adani Sportsline informed in a release on Monday.

The Adani Group is committed to elevating and developing the sporting ecosystem in India in a way that inculcates and drives a sporting culture across the nation. Through its contribution, the Group aims to develop India’s next generation of sporting champions and support them in their journey towards representing India on national and international platforms like the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and the Olympics.

Since 2016, the Adani Group has supported more than 28 athletes in sports like boxing, wrestling, tennis, javelin throw, shooting, running, shotput, brisk walking, archery, and more.

As we get ready for the 2024 Paris Olympics, I wish the very best to the exceptional athletes who will represent our nation on the world’s grandest sporting stage. Their relentless riyaaz and unwavering dedication truly embody the new indomitable spirit of India. I am confident… pic.twitter.com/Oi7GsSj8Zb

— Gautam Adani (@gautam_adani) July 8, 2024

Among those who benefited are Commonwealth Games gold medalist wrestlers Ravi Kumar Dahiya and Deepak Punia and boxer Amit Panghal. Dahiya and Punia also secured silver medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics 2020 and the 2023 Asian Games. The Group also sponsored the Indian contingent at the Tokyo Olympics. The Group was associated with the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022, and Hangzhou Asian Games 2022 contingents as official partners as well.

Speaking on the launch of the film, Sanjay Adesara, CBO, Adani Sportsline, said, “At Adani Sportsline, we extend our best wishes to our champion athletes, and hope that we have more success than ever before. With the help of our programmes, we are fully committed to supporting our athletes all the way in their quest for excellence at the highest level in sport. And while they are fighting it out for the top prize, we must support them, cheer them on, and motivate them.”

With IANS Inputs

The highly anticipated Olympics 2024 are all set to kick-start from July 26 and will conclude on August 11. The Olympics will be hosted in Paris and a total of 206 countries will be participating from all over the world. The 2024 Paris Olympics will feature 45 different sports, including 41 that are considered mainstay Olympic sports. Four new sports like breaking, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing have also been included in this edition’ roster. India will be sending close to 120 athletes to Paris for the upcoming Olympic games in French capital.

India will look to outdo its tally of seven medals from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which included a gold, two silver, and four bronze medals.

Ahead of the marquee event, here’s a list of all the Indian athletes who have secured a spot in Olympics 2024.

Archery:

Dhiraj Bommadevara: Men’s team

Tarundeep Rai: Men’s team

Pravin Jadhav: Men’s team

Bhajan Kaur: Women’s team

Deepika Kumari: Women’s team

Ankita Bhakat: Women’s team

Athletics:

Akshdeep Singh: Men’s 20km race walk

Vikash Singh: Men’s 20km race walk

Paramjeet Singh Bisht: Men’s 20km race walk

Priyanka Goswami: Women’s 20km race walk

Avinash Sable: Men’s 3000m steeplechase

Parul Chaudhary: Women’s 3000m steeplechase, women’s 5000m steeplechase

Jyothi Yarraji: Women’s 100m hurdles

Kiran Pahal: Women’s 400m

Tajinderpal Singh Toor: Men’s shot put

Abha Khatua: Women’s shot put

Neeraj Chopra: Men’s javelin throw

Kishore Jena: Men’s javelin throw

Annu Rani: Women’s javelin throw

Sarvesh Kushare: Men’s high jump

Praveen Chithravel: Men’s triple jump

Abdulla Aboobacker: Men’s triple jump

Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Muhammed Ajmal, Amoj Jacob, Santhosh Tamilarasan, and Rajesh Ramesh: Men’s 4x400m relay

Mijo Chaco Kurian: 4x400m relay and 4x400m mixed relay

Vidhya Ramaraj, Jyothika Sri Dandi, MR Poovamma, Subha Venkatesan, and Prachi: Women’s 4x400m relay

Prachi: 4x400m mixed relay

Priyanka Goswami/Suraj Panwar: Race walk mixed marathon

Badminton:

H.S Prannoy: Men’s singles

Lakshya Sen: Men’s singles

P.V Sindhu: Women’s singles

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty: Men’s doubles

Ashwini Ponappa and Tanisha Crasto: Women’s doubles

Boxing:

Nikhat Zareen: Women’s 50kg

Amit Phangal: Men’s 51kg

Nishant Dev: Men’s 71kg

Preeti Pawar: Women’s 54kg

Lovlina Borgohain: Women’s 75kg

Jaismine Lamboria: Women’s 57kg

Equestrian:

Anush Agarwalla: Dressage

Golf:

Subhankar Sharma: Men’s golf

Gaganjeet Bhullar: Men’s golf

Aditi Ashok: Women’s golf

Diksha Dagar: Women’s golf

Hockey:

P.R Sreejesh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rogidas, Harmanpreet Singh(c), Sumit, Sanjay, Rajkumar Pal, Shamsher Singh, Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh: Men’s hockey team

Judo:

Tulika Mann: Women’s 78kg

Rowing:

Balraj Panwar: M1x

Sailing:

Vishnu Saravanan: Men’s one person dinghy

Nethra Kumanan: Women’s one person dinghy

Shooting:

Prithviraj Tondaiman: Men’s trap

Rajeshwari Kumari: Women’s trap

Shreyasi Singh: Women’s trap

Anantjeet Singh Naruka: Men’s skeet

Raiza Dhillon: Women’s skeet

Maheshwari Chauhan: Women’s skeet

Anantjeet Singh Naruka/Maheshwari Chauhan: Skeet mixed team

Sandeep Singh: Men’s 10m air rifle

Arjun Babuta: Men’s 10m air rifle

Elavenil Valarivan: Women’s 10m air rifle

Ramita Jindal: Women’s 10m air rifle

Swapnil Kusale: Men’s 50m rifle 3 position

Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar: Men’s 50m rifle 3 position

Sift Kaur Samra: Women’s 50m rifle 3 positions

Anjum Moudgil: Women’s 50m rifle 3 positions

Sandeep Singh/Elavenil Valarivan: 10m air rifle mixed team

Arjun Babuta/Ramita Jindal: 10m air rifle mixed team

Arjun Cheema: Men’s 10m air pistol

Sarabjot Singh: Men’s 10m air pistol

Manu Bhaker: Women’s 10m air pistol

Rhythm Sangwam: Women’s 10m air pistol

Vijayveer Sidhu: Men’s 25m rapid fire pistol

Anish Bhanwala: Men’s 25m rapid fire pistol

Manu Bhaker: Women’s 25m pistol

Esha Singh: Women’s 25m pistol

Sarabjot Singh/Manu Bhaker: 10m air pistol mixed team

Arjun Cheema/Rhythm Sangwam: 10m air pistol mixed team

Swimming:

Dhinidhi Desinghu: Women’s 200m freestyle

Srihari Nataraj: Men’s 100m backstroke

Table Tennis:

Sharath Kamal: Men’s singles and men’s team

Harmeet Desai: Men’s singles and men’s team

Manav Thakkar: Men’s team

Manika Batra: Women’s singles and women’s team

Sreeja Akula: Women’s singles and women’s team

Archana Kamath: Women’s team

Tennis:

Sumit Nagal: Men’s singles

Rohan Bopanna and Sriram Balaji: Men’s doubles

Weightlifting:

Mirabai Chanu: Women’s 49kg

Wrestling:

Aman Sehrawat: Men’s freestyle 57kg

Vinesh Phogat: Women’s 50kg

Anshu Malik: Women’s 57kg

Nisha Dahiya: Women’s 68kg

Reetika Hooda: Women’s 76kg

Antim Phangal: Women’s 53kg

Antim Panghal will bring her prodigious wrestling talent to Paris 2024 as the 19-year-old is expected to be a medal contender in the 53 kg weight category in the upcoming Olympic Games. Panghal’s journey began at the young age of 10 years, inspired by her elder sister, a kabaddi player, who encouraged her to pursue wrestling. In an exclusive feature on JioCinema’s ‘The Dreamers,’ she opened up on her wrestling journey which saw her become the first Indian woman to win gold at the World Junior Championships.

Reflecting on her early days, she said, “Before stepping onto the mat, I feel jitters, but once I am on the mat, the fear and nerves take a back seat. The spirit is all about fighting and winning.”

The two-time Junior World Champion’s journey met a turning point at the 2022 Commonwealth Games trials, where a lost bout sparked her to put in extra effort and enter the best stretch of her young career. “The loss at the trial for the 2022 Commonwealth Games to Vinesh Phogat was tough, it motivated me to work harder.

“I went on to win a gold at the Junior World Championships, becoming the first Indian woman to do so, and later won a silver medal at the 2023 Asian Championships. My life changed after the 2022 Commonwealth Games,” she shared.

Panghal also discussed the importance of resilience and learning from setbacks. “If I lose a match, I don’t dwell on it. I motivate myself to do better and move on. I believe that the Almighty has a better plan for me, and there are lessons to be learned from my losses. The final seconds of the semifinal bout at the World Championships taught me the importance of focus and attentiveness.”

Looking ahead to Paris 2024, Panghal aspires to follow in the footsteps of Sakshi Malik, India’s only female Olympic wrestling medallist. “The country has placed its faith in me, and I want to live up to their expectations. Once I set my mind on something, I ensure it gets done,” she said.

Panghal created history as the first Indian woman to win gold at the Junior World Wrestling Championships in 2022, defending her title in 2023. She replicated her feat by earning a bronze medal at the 2023 World Wrestling Championships, a bronze at the 2022 Asian Games, and a silver at the 2023 Asian Wrestling Championships.

Set for his fifth Olympic appearance in Paris, Indian flagbearer Achanta Sharath Kamal feels he is scaling new heights with each passing year and believes his “best is yet to come.” The 41-year-old turned the clock back to win three gold medals, including one in men’s singles, at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022. He returned empty-handed at last year’s Asian Games in Hangzhou, but Sharath helped Indian men’s team clinch a historic Paris Olympics quota via world rankings following their last-16 finish at the World Table Tennis Championships in Busan in February.

“I am happy that I’m scaling new heights with each passing year, besides improving both physically and mentally. I hope the best is yet to come,” the top-ranked Indian told PTI.

“To highlight one particular achievement from my career would not do justice to my other achievements. The Asian Games bronze (Jakarta 2018) and Commonwealth Games gold are two of the highs of my career,” said the Sharath, who boasts of 13 CWG medals in his cabinet.

“I’m pretty sure I haven’t left any stone unturned. I have done everything possible from my side, and I hope the results will follow,” added Sharath, who has climbed from being world No 88 to 34 in ITTF rankings.

Having begun his Olympic journey at Athens 2004 as a 21-year-old, Sharath dreams of a podium finish after reuniting with Italian coach Massimo Costantini.

“Back then, I didn’t know what getting into the Olympics was. But I have built up into the player I am right now, and hopefully, in my fifth Olympics, I have a chance to get that medal. And once that happens, I can be truly satisfied with my career,” he reckoned.

The 66-year-old had coached India from 2009-2010 and from 2016-2018 was part of their success at 2018 Commonwealth Games and 2018 Asian Game. India had bagged a record haul of eight medals at the CWG 2018, followed by two bronze at the Indonesia showpiece.

“He brings a lot of confidence from around himself and to the team. It is something that I require since a lot of us are working individually. But how can we get it together, Max has been helping us in achieving it.” But to speak of the reality, a podium finish is going to be an “uphill task”, Sharath acknowledged.

“It’s going to be very tough, and we are apparently seeded 14th or 15th, making the task even more uphill. But, we are optimistic as well because with the kind of form all of us have been playing.

“The girls are going to go a long way in the Olympics, same for the boys. We want to do it,” he said.

He further said he has learnt ‘periodisation’ or systematic training as he looks to implement the knowledge this time around.

“It has immensely helped me in preparations — trying to understand my body and mind. Periodisation is something that I have learnt over the years, and I’m looking to bring that knowledge into practice in Paris,” he said.

“I’m not getting younger any day. Age is not on my side, and I have to ensure that I reverse the clock. It is something that I’m trying to get better for this Olympics,” he said.

Sharath has also undergone a slew of tests, including genetic and bone density scans to get better through sports science.

“It was mainly to ensure that I don’t make mistakes about what exactly has to be done. For instance, I have an intolerance towards some substance, how to stay away from it and to have the best knowledge from sports science,” he explained.

“I did not have a major access to sports science before Tokyo, and only then I realised that it can help us in getting better. That’s the reason we do these tests to ensure that even the small differences go a long way, especially in situations like the Olympics.” A few months back, Sharath underwent a training session in Germany for four weeks, and he confessed that he did work a lot on his technical aspects during this session.

“There I focused a lot on working on my technical aspects and sharpening my skills, and I tried to practice with different levels of players in different conditions. It’s helped me a lot, and now it’s time to put all those (learnings) into action,” he added in the interaction arranged by Timelinks. 

London Olympics bronze medallist shooter Gagan Narang on Monday replaced Mary Kom as India’s Chef-de-Mission for the Paris Olympics where ace shuttler PV Sindhu will be the female flag bearer during the opening ceremony. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha said the 41-year-old Narang’s elevation from deputy CDM’s position was an automatic choice in the wake of Mary Kom’s resignation. “I was looking for an Olympic medallist to lead our contingent and my young colleague is an apt replacement for Mary Kom,” PT Usha said in a press release.

PTI had earlier reported that Narang was in race to become the CDM of the Indian contingent.

Six-time world champion Mary Kom had resigned from the position in April, saying she was left with no choice but to step down owing to compelling personal reasons. She was named CDM by the IOA in March this year.

Chef-de-Mission is an important administrative post as he is responsible for ensuring the welfare of the participating athletes, taking care of their needs and liaising with the organising committee.

IOA also announced that Sindhu, India’s only woman athlete to win back-to-back Olympic medals, will be the flag bearer of the Indian contingent during the opening ceremony on July 26, alongside ace table tennis player Achanta Sharath Kamal.

“I am also delighted to announce that India’s only woman to win two Olympic medals, PV Sindhu, as the female flag-bearer alongside table tennis ace A Sharath Kamal in the opening ceremony,” Usha said.

IOA had named Kamal as flag bearer in March but delayed the decision on picking the female athlete.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), in 2020, had changed its protocol to allow one female and and one male athlete of each NOC to bear the flag jointly during the opening ceremony of the Summer Games.

Mary Kom and former hockey skipper Manpreet Singh were India’s flag bearers at the Tokyo Olympics.

“I am confident that our athletes are well prepared to deliver the best results for India in Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” Usha added.

More than 100 athletes have qualified for the Paris Games, starting July 26.

Interestingly, Narang — the London Olympics bronze medallist in men’s 10m air rifle event — was tasked with overseeing India’s operations at the shooting range, which is very far from the main venues.

India will field its largest-ever shooting contingent with as many as 21 qualifying for the Games.

Now that Narang has been selected for CDM’s role, the IOA will have to find his replacement at the shooting range. 

Gautam Adani, the chairman of Adani Group, has launched #DeshKaGeetAtOlympics to cheer for the Indian atheltes who will be participating in the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris. The Paris Olympics 2024 will get underway on July 26 and will conclude on August 11, 2024. The Olympics will be hosted in Paris and a total of 206 countries will be participating in the event. India will be sending close to 120 athletes to Paris for the upcoming Olympic games in French capital. In order to cheer the Paris-bound Indian athletes, Gautam Adani has launched #DeshKaGeetAtOlympics.

Gautam Adani said he is confident that India will achieve it’s best-ever medals tally at the quadrennial event.

“As we get ready for the 2024 Paris Olympics, I wish the very best to the exceptional athletes who will represent our nation on the world’s grandest sporting stage. Their relentless riyaaz and unwavering dedication truly embody the new indomitable spirit of India. I am confident that this year, we will achieve our greatest medal haul ever. @AdaniOnline is immensely honoured to support @WeAreTeamIndia on this remarkable journey. Together, we shall cheer for our champions and eagerly await the echoes of #DeshKaGeetAtOlympics. Jai Hind!” Gautam Adani wrote in a post on his social media handles.

Our athletes’ practise is like riyaaz. It’s relentless. Not just to win gold, but so that our national anthem plays when they climb the victory stand.

Let’s cheer for them and join in when it’s time to sing #DeshKaGeetAtOlympics! #Adani #IndiaAtParis2024 #Cheer4Bharat… https://t.co/3qCWRng7VV

— Adani Sportsline (@AdaniSportsline) July 8, 2024

The campaign for the Indian contingent by its principal sponsor Adani Group, centres around the athletes, who have spent hours and years in training with the aim of winning and hearing the national anthem after the victory.

The campaign, anchored by an inspiring film, encapsulates the relentless dedication of Indian athletes and reignites the feeling of patriotism amongst the audiences as India’s best athletes take centre stage once again. The film showcases India’s top sporting talent sweating it out as they prepare to head to Paris, aiming to surpass the Tokyo Olympics ‘medal haul and earn the honour of hearing the national anthem at one of the most anticipated global sporting events.

Since 2016, the group has supported more than 28 athletes in sports like boxing, wrestling, tennis, javelin throw, shooting, running, shotput, brisk walking, archery, and more. Among those who benefited are Commonwealth Games gold medalist wrestlers Ravi Kumar Dahiya and Deepak Punia and boxer Amit Panghal. Dahiya and Punia also secured silver medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics 2020 and the 2023 Asian Games. The Group also sponsored the Indian contingent at the Tokyo Olympics. The Group was associated with the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022, and Hangzhou Asian Games 2022 contingents as official partners as well.

(With ANI Inputs)

Top Indian 3000m steeplechaser Avinash Sable and javelin thrower Kishore Jena will hope to fine tune their Olympics preparations in the Paris leg of the prestigious Diamond League one-day meeting series on Sunday. Reigning Olympic and world champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has opted out of the Paris DL apparently due to an adductor niggle that has been troubling him for the past couple of months. Both Sable and Jena have not been in the best of forms and have not competed in too many events ahead of the Paris Games but they would be looking to get acclimatised to the conditions of the city which will host the Olympics.

Athletics competitions in the Olympics begin on August 1.

The 29-year-old Sable has competed in just two 3000m steeplechase events, one at the Portland Track Festival in the USA, where he has been training, and the other at the National Inter-State Championships in Panchkula, Haryana last week.

He had clocked 8:21.85 at Portland and 8:31.75 in Panchkula, while he has a personal best of 8:11.20.

After winning gold at the National Inter-State Championships, Sable had vowed to make amends for mistakes he committed in the last few years and deliver a memorable show at the Paris Olympics with a different approach.

“I committed mistakes in the last two years. I had gone with good fitness in the two world championships (2022 and 2023) but could not do well at both. I want to make amends, hope that this Olympics will be my best,” said the reigning Asian Games gold medallist.

On Sunday, he will be up against Kenyan Abraham Kibiwot, the 2023 World Championships bronze medallist and gold winner at the 2022 Commonwealth Games where Sable had won a silver.

Another Kenyan, Simon Kiprop Koech, the 2023 Diamond League champion, will also be a top-three contender on Sunday in the absence of reigning Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco and Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia.

In five Diamond League appearances so far in his career, Sable’s best show has been a fifth-place finish.

Jena has also had a forgettable season so far with efforts of 76.31m in Doha Diamond League and 75.49m in the Federation Cup before an 80.84m throw to win a bronze at the National Inter-State Championships.

He has a personal best of 87.54m which he did while winning a silver in the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.

Jena, who will be competing in his second Diamond League on Sunday after Doha, had revealed that he was coping with a minor left ankle pain, which he felt after the Federation Cup (May 15-19) in Bhubaneswar.

“The pain has reduced and it’s almost all right now,” he had said in Panchkula last week.

He will be up against the likes of Tokyo Olympics silver medallist and 2023 Diamond League champion Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic, former world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada and reigning Commonwealth Games medallist and 2023 World Championships silver winner Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan.