12 amazing facts from the Indian Olympic contingent that might surprise you
With just a few days left for the biggest sporting spectacle of all, expectations of bettering our London mark has been gradually rising. Six medals across four sports and six disciplines were by no means bad for India in the last Olympics.
The Indian contingent for Rio 2016 includes world champions (current and former), world record holders, Olympic medalists and medal hopefuls. There is a possibility of us touching the double-digit mark at the end of the tournament.
So, here is a quick list of amazing records achieved by 12 athletes since the London Games:
Sandeep Tomar
Wrestling: Continental Ranking - 1 and World Number - 4
The 24-year-old wrestler, who hails from Malakpur village in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh is the reigning Asian Champion in the 57-kg category. He got the better of Ukraine's Andriy Yatsenko, a two-time cadet World Champion to bag a bronze medal in the Mongolia Olympic Qualifiers this April and ensured an Olympic berth for the country in Rio.
Also Read: From defeating the World Champion to booking a Rio berth, Sandeep Tomar - the dark horse of Indian wrestling
Sandeep's feat is hugely noteworthy as he became the fourth wrestler to book a berth for the Rio Games after Yogeshwar Dutt, Narsingh Yadav, and Hardeep Singh. Not long ago, the Indian Navy sailor won a gold medal at the 2016 Asian Championship and would like to carry on his tremendous form to the Summer Games.
Sudha Singh
3000m Steeplechase: Three consecutive silver medals in Asian Athletics Championship
Marathon runner Sudha Singh has been a consistent performer in steeplechase events since 2010 when she clinched a gold medal in Guangzhou, China.
The Mumbai-based Central Railway employee Sudha first grabbed a silver medal in the 2009 Asian Athletics Championships and followed it up with two more in 2011 and 2013.She is also the winner of Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2014 in the Half Marathon category and was the Runner-up at Airtel Delhi Half Marathon in 2014.
She secured an Olympic slot after finishing second in the 3000m steeplechase event at the 2016 Federation Cup in Delhi. A month later, she made a new Indian NR in the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) Diamond League Meet in Shanghai.