India’s youth eye Olympic glory
Still immersed in the high of the recently concluded Asian Games, India gets ready for another international sporting event.
Still immersed in the high of the recently concluded Asian Games, India gets ready for another international sporting event. The third edition of the Youth Olympics Games (YOG) is set to commence on 6th October, 2018, and India will be among the 206 countries sending its young athletes to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
49 athletes which fulfill the age limit criterion for YOG (14 to 18 years of age before 31st December, 2018) are listed to represent the Tricolour in the Argentine capital which in turn makes it India’s largest contingent at the Games. This comes as no surprise given that the sporting culture in the country is more widespread than ever. The advent of sophisticated infrastructure and a nod of approval from the society, among other reasons, have been instrumental in getting more and more youngsters to take up sports seriously. This has not only led to an exponential growth in the participation, but also in the tally of medal and laurels coming home.
While teenagers like Saurabh Chaudhary, Lakshya Sen and Manu Bhaker, who has been named as India’s flag-bearer, will see the Games as a golden opportunity to compete at the global stage, they will also have to shoulder tremendous responsibility. Wanting to make a mark for themselves, these budding athletes will look to improve the nation’s medal count from the previous two editions of the Games in Singapore (2010) and China (2014).
As India still waits for its first gold medal at YOG, Bhaker and Chaudhary, both shooting prodigies, will look to start off where they left at the Asiad. These two along with 2017 Junior World Boxing Champion Jyoti Gulia and ace shuttler Lakshya Sen will be India’s brightest prospects to book the top spot on the podium. These budding athletes will aspire to follow the footsteps of Neeraj Chopra and Hima Das who, by starting young, have not only grown to become the country’s best hopes for 2022 Olympics, but also become household names.
The country needs to recognise the efforts of these talented bunch of youngsters, show them the much-needed support they rightfully deserve and cheer for them as they strive for Gold at the prestigious Youth Olympic Games. We wish the Indian contingent all the very best and hope that they come back home with medals to their name.
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