5 of India’s strongest medal contenders at Rio 2016

India are slowly but surely cementing their position as one of the upcoming countries in terms of success at the Olympics. They clinched 101 medals in 2010 at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi and followed it up with 62 medals in 2014. The ever-improving contingent also won 57 medals at the2014 Asian Games in Incheon.

With the 2016 Rio Olympics starting in less than a day, the Indians will be hoping for some more success in comparison to their last haul at the Olympics in 2012, 6. India are sending the highest number of athletes ever in their history to Rio, a phenomenal total of 119 and will be hoping for greater success than in 2012.

Here’s a look at 5 of the country’s strongest medal contenders at Rio 2016 –

Vinesh Phogat

India’s best bet for a medal at Rio 2016 has to be Vinesh Phogat, who is participating in the women’s wrestling 48 kg category.  She comes from a wrestling family; her uncle is the very famous Mahavir Singh Phogat, an amateur wrestler himself who coached his daughter Geeta Phogat to the gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2010, the first ever for an Indian woman in wrestling.

Vinesh, who is just 21, has been very impressive in the last three years. She won the Gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in the women’s freestyle 48 kg. Phogat consolidated her efforts by winning the Bronze at the 2014 Asian Games in the same weight category.

After winning Silver at the 2015 Asian Wrestling Championships, she qualified for the Olympics by clinching Gold at the 2nd Worldwide Qualifier Tournament.

Her technical style of wrestling, coupled with her athleticism, gives her a great chance of mixing it up with the best and winning a medal for India. Supported by the JSW Sports Excellence Program, Vinesh Phogat is one of India’s leading athletes at the Games and will look to do her family and country proud.