Top 5 Medal prospects in Indian Athletics for Tokyo 2020

3. Lalita Babbar (3000m Steeplechase)

With the Bronze at the 2014 Asian Games where she broke Sudha Singh's record.

While there was a time in late 70s and early 80s when India used to be a force in men's 3000m steeplechase, the rise in the women's version of the sport in the past decade can be directly owed to the rivalry of Lalita Babbar and Sudha Singh. Their competitiveness has continued to push each other to new highs and smash each other's and sometimes their own National Records.

The current NR is in the name of Lalita babbar that she secured in the Rio finals while not being fully fit. While Babbar is a specialist in the discipline with a physique and built tailor-made for the event, Singh has owed much of her success to her stamina that comes from the long-distance marathon running that she simultaneously trains for. If they continue to push the boundaries for each other in the years to come, they can be serious contenders come 2020, which makes their exclusion from TOPS all the more contentious.