The unprecedented success achieved in the last edition would be hard to replicate this time after the dropping of a few disciplines but upbeat after getting back in Olympic fold, a 215-strong Indian contingent would nonetheless seek a top-three finish in the 20th Commonwealth Games, which begin here on Wednesday.
India finished second behind Australia with a record 101 medal haul in New Delhi in a Games marred by corruption scandals and construction delays but praised for the stunning success in terms of delivery of the event and performance by the athletes.
The Delhi CWG triggered an ascent in sports achievements with another record-breaking show in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou where India won 65 medals. Two years later, the country won six medals in London, almost half of the individual medals won in the entire Olympic history. But in Glasgow, the most realistic target for India would be a third-place finish with the top spot expected to go either to Australia or England.
India, which sent 215 athletes in 14 sports, its largest ever after 2010 Delhi CWG, will be hit hard by the scrapping of archery and tennis from Glasgow Games and the reduction in the number of medal events in shooting and wrestling. The country had won a combined 12 medals from archery and tennis in 2010 while bagging 14 medals from the 18 events dropped this time from shooting. Greco-Roman category in wrestling, from which India won eight medals in 2010, has also been done away with in Glasgow.With several of the shooters, who had given 30 medals in 2010, also not in peak form, India’s medal tally is expected to reduce drastically from the 101 (38, 27, 36) in 2010 and anything above 60 can be considered an achievement.
Finishing second in Glasgow ahead of England, whose athletes are competing under near home-like conditions, is unlikely for India. The country had finished second in 2010 after winning one gold more than England which though had bagged 31 more medals. England will also be hurt less than India on account of scrapping of archery and tennis and pruning down of the number of events in shooting and wrestling. Moreover, they did not send many of their top athletes in 2010 because of the 2012 London Olympics.
India and Canada, which sent a 265-strong team to Glasgow, it’s largest ever for a non-home Commonwealth Games, are expected to fight it out for the third place. Canada will not be hit hard by scrapping of disciplines as they won just three medals in Greco-Roman wrestling in 2010 while they had a small presence in shooting.
India, which has more than half of the total two billion population of the Commonwealth countries, has returned with nearly 30 medal winners of the last Games with the likes of Abhinav Bindra, Gagan Narang, Vijender Singh, Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt, Krishna Poonia, Ashish Kumar, Achanta Sharath Kamal set to prove their mettle once again.
As usual, shooting is still expected to contribute a major chunk of medals for India despite 18 events being dropped in Glasgow since the last edition. In Delhi, shooting had given 30 out of 101 medals India won and this time also, the country would look up to the likes of star marksman Abhinav Bindra, Gagan Narang, Vijay Kumar, Heena Sidhu to deliver once again.
India will also find its medal count getting reduced due to scrapping of Greco-Roman wrestling (seven events) from which the country had won four gold, a silver and two bronze. But, India still is expected to win at least 10 medals from wrestling. Olympic medallists Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt will lead the campaign and both, though fighting in new weight classes due to tweaking of categories by world governing body FILA, would be looking for gold in 74kg and 65kg freestyle respectively.
In hockey, the Olympic sport which is most sentimentally attached to the people, India is expected to win at least a medal either from men or women. Indian men won a silver in 2010 CWG after a humiliating loss to Australia in the final and this time they will have to beat either New Zealand or England in the semifinal, if they reach that stage, to make it to the title round.
In women’s hockey, India will first hope to finish in the top two in their group with higher-ranked New Zealand and South Africa in the fray. In badminton, despite the absence of star shuttler Saina Nehwal, India are expected to do well and win a medal in men’s and women’s singles through P Kashyap and P V Sindhu.