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India's chief national coach Pullela Gopichand shared a star-studded photo of the racquet sports contingent ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics. The Indian athletes reached the French capital as they geared up to break the Tokyo Olympics' tally of 7 medals.
Gopichand posed for the heartwarming picture alongside HS Prannoy, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. They were joined by tennis duo Rohan Bopanna and Sriram Balaji. The women's badminton pair of Ashwini Ponappa and Tanisha Crasto was also seen in the photo shared by Gopichand. Table tennis ace Sharath Kamal was also in the picture.
"It's a privilege to reconnect with our incredible Indian sports heroes here at the Paris 2024 Olympics! Their passion and dedication are truly inspiring. Let's cheer for Team India as they strive for greatness!" Pullela Gopichand wrote on Instagram.
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Pullela Gopichand backs PV Sindhu to claim her third Olympic medal
Pullela Gopichand remains optimistic about PV Sindhu's prospects at the upcoming Paris Olympics despite her recent challenges with form and injuries.
Sindhu, who earned silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at Tokyo 2020, has faced a tough road recently, including a stress fracture in her left ankle during the 2022 Commonwealth Games and early exits from several tournaments.
Gopichand, however, is confident in Sindhu's ability to shine when it counts the most. He asserted his belief in her potential to excel at the Olympics.
"I do believe that she has a bright chance. She has draw against the Chinese duo of Xi Bing Jao and Chen Yu Fei and she has done well against both these players in the past. And, I do expect she will deliver at this Games again,” he told PTI.
India will have a strong presence at the badminton competition in Paris, with seven players participating across four out of the five categories.
The squad has quite a formidable mix, including HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen in men's singles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in men's doubles, and the duo of Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto in women's doubles.
With her past successes and experience, Sindhu is expected to be a strong contender in the women's singles category.
