Tokyo Olympics: Indian athletes who can still qualify for the Games

More than 100 Indian athletes have already qualified for the Tokyo Olympics so far, with the contingent likely to surpass 117-mark and make it India’s strongest ever at the Games.

However, with less than 50 days left for the showpiece event to kick-start, the coming weeks could prove vital for Indian athletes aiming to qualify.

In fact, most of the athletes should have booked their tickets by now, but the second Covid-19 wave has played spoilsport. Most of them have missed qualifying events owing to the travel restrictions imposed by other countries on Indian visitors.

However, the situation has improved since then, with Tokyo-aspirants gearing up to give their best shot for a place at the quadrennial event.

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Let us have a look at the athletes who can still qualify for the Tokyo Olympics:

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Archery

Deepika Kumari is the only Indian female archer to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics so far

Archery is expected to be India’s golden ticket at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, with the nation set to field its strongest ever contingent at the Games.

So far, the men’s archery team, comprising Atanu Das, Tarundeep Rai and Pravin Jadhav, has already gained qualification. Apart from which, all of the above-mentioned archers have also secured berths in the men's individual events. Meanwhile, Deepika Kumari has qualified for the women's individual event.

However, the Indian women’s archery team, comprising of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat and Komalika Bari, are yet to make the cut. With a few months left for the Olympics to kick-start, it was expected that qualification would be on the cards.

But, the recent travel restrictions, owing to the second Covid-19 wave in India have put the plans in jeopardy.

The pandemic curbs forced India to miss the World Cup Stage 2, in Switzerland, which was a Tokyo Olympics qualifying event. The Swiss government has denied issuing visas for visiting Indian athletes.

But the eves will get their last shot at qualification during World Cup Stage 3 in Paris, which begins on June 21. The three-member squad has already reached the host city and is set to serve a 10-day quarantine period before preparing for the competition.

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