Abhinav Bindra, India's First Individual Olympic Gold Medallist, Honoured Ahead Of Paris Olympics

29.06.2024 - 13:51 sports.ndtv.com

India's first individual gold medallist, Abhinav Bindra, and Paralympian Deepa Malik have been honoured with Special Recognition Awards at a ceremony celebrating Indians who have made a significant impact globally.

India Global Forum's (IGF) annual UK-India Awards 2024 at Fairmont Windsor Park, near London, on Thursday evening, honoured the sporting legends alongside a ‘Global Indian Icon Award' for social crusader Arunachalam Muruganantham, in recognition of his revolutionary work in menstrual hygiene captured in the 2018 Akshay Kumar film ‘Pad Man'.

Lord Anthony Bamford, founder of multinational construction giant JCB, was honoured with the Lifetime Contribution to UK-India Relations. “For a global sport like the Olympics, it makes complete sense to have a closer relationship with the world's largest population.

Every fourth or fifth person in the world is in India, so there's a lot of synergy there,” said Bindra, on India potentially hosting the Olympics during a discussion around the future of sport in the country. “But more than infrastructure, I think what we need is a vision that actually transcends far beyond the sporting events itself.

Other sports shooting Paris Olympics Abhinav Bindra Britain India county Windsor

Indian rifle shooter Sift Kaur Samra isn't feeling the pressure on her debut Olympics, instead she is approaching the quadrennial showpiece as just another international competition, and said "just the name of the tournament that changes, not the people or the technique". Sift, who is currently in her training base in Luxembourg, will compete in women's 50m rifle 3 positions in Paris Games, starting from July 23 in the French Capital. The Asian Games gold medallist with a World Record of 469.6, said since the Olympics came after four years which is why it is much bigger than the other normal world cups but for her, it's just another competition, and she will follow the same things she did in previous tournaments and training sessions.

"Don't Carry Past Burdens": Anjum Moudgil Hopes For Good Outing At Paris Olympics

Paris Olympics is just around the corner and India is buzzing with excitement and hope, especially when it comes to shooting. Among the shooters carrying the burden of hopes is Anjum Moudgil, who has faced her share of professional setbacks, is approaching the quadrennial extravaganza with a renewed positive mindset and determination. Competing only in the 50m rifle 3 positions event this time, Anjum has evolved significantly since her last Olympic appearance in Tokyo in 2021. After missing out on 2023 World Championships and the deferred 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, Anjum has made a strong comeback.

India's Full Schedule At Paris Olympics 2024: Date, Events And More

Paris Olympics 2024 are just around the corner and the anticipation of the fans is increasing day by day. The quadrennial event will kick-start from July 26 and will conclude on August 11. A total of 117 athletes will be sent by India in their contingent, which includes the likes of two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu and 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Neeraj Chopra. Athletics will nonetheless make for the biggest group in the contingent with 29 names (11 women and 18 men), followed by shooting (21) and hockey (19).

"Mental Conditioning Camp Will Help Team": Hockey Star Abhishek Ahead Of Paris Olympics

Indian men's hockey team forward Abhishek feels the mental conditioning camp the players underwent at renowned adventurer Mike Horn's base in Switzerland ahead of the Paris Olympics has helped them prepare for high-pressure situations. The Indian team has completed a three-day mental conditioning camp at Horn's base and are slated to play a few practice matches in the Netherlands before making their way to Paris Games.

"Mental Conditioning Camp Will Help Team": Hockey Star Abhishek Ahead Of Paris Olympics

Satwiksairaj Rankiredddy-Chirag Shetty Pair Gets Favourable Draw For Paris Olympics

Star Indian shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have received a favourable draw for the Paris Olympics beginning July 26. Satwik, 23, and Chirag, 27, who claimed the Thomas Cup gold and Commonwealth Games gold in 2022, have been seeded third. The former world number one pair, considered one of the favourites for the gold medal, has been clubbed in group C where Indonesia's world number six combination of Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto will be their toughest opponent.