And we're done with yet another Olympic games. From an Indian perspective, it was a good Games: a silver and five bronze medals to match India's second-best tally at the Games.
The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are now four years away. Definitive predictions are hard to make. But what fun is it to make predictions only with empirical evidence backing it up? So, here is a list of our (very, very) early predictions from an Indian perspective for LA 2028.
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India will break double digits on medals
Some will say this should have happened in Paris, and with a little bit more fortune, it might have been the case. But in the end, India's haul of seven medals in Tokyo remains the best.
Paris Olympics: How India's six medals were won
Paris was an encouragement, given the number of Indian athletes who made finals and how close to medals a lot of them were - as the six fourth-place finishes point to. India aren't far away from attaining double digits. With the addition of some favourable sports to the Olympic programme, India should reach that magic double-figure mark in Los Angeles.
Lakshya Sen will make the men's singles podium
When Viktor Axelsen says it, how can anyone disagree? The two-time Olympic champion earmarked Lakshya Sen as one of the big contenders for the gold medal in LA after their semifinal here, which Axelsen won in straight games despite being given a scare in both games.
Lakshya is only 22 and has plenty of badminton ahead of him. Like in the Thomas Cup in 2022, and then the Asian Games last year before these Olympics, he has shown time and again that he has the ability to raise his level at big tournaments as well.
Keep going brother. You can be really proud of yourself. Wish all semifinalsts could get a medal as you definitely deserve one.
Congrats to you all on a fantastic performance at the Games.
- Viktor Axelsen (@ViktorAxelsen) August 7, 2024
A repeat South Asian 1-2 in the javelin
Thinking of Pakistan and India sharing the top two spots on the podium at the end of a javelin event is absurd enough as is. They couldn't repeat it, could they? Well, Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem are both not going anywhere. Neeraj has his robust system behind him still, and he will be primed to make amends for not winning gold here in Paris. Nadeem's gold ought to ensure that his struggles with sponsorships and opportunities are now a thing of the past.
The Nadeem-Neeraj mindbending Olympic score: South Asia 2, RoW 1
Both men are still in their prime and could well be around their physical peak around the LA games. India and Pakistan. Javelin. It's a stronghold now, it could well become an empire.
Smriti Mandhana will become the first Indian cricket captain to win Olympic gold
Wouldn't that be quite something? This prediction has been made purely under the assumption that the women's tournament would happen first - like it did at the Asian Games.
Either way, the Indian women's dismal run in big knockout cricket matches should come to an end soon. At some point, there will be some reversion to a mean which would put them on the right side of a big game. The core of this current Indian women's team is also so good at such a young age, that it really isn't an outrageous prediction to make that they'll win in LA. Of course, a certain team wearing green and gold will have things to say (and do) about this.
India will have another medallist from Chhatrasal
Perhaps the easiest prediction of the lot. The wrestling finishing school that Chhatrasal is has been an incredible conveyor belt for Indian Olympic medals. It added to its proud history with Aman Sehrawat's bronze in Paris.
The reason why there's no specific name to this: who thought back in 2021 that Ravi Dahiya, won the silver medal, would be replaced by Aman in that very same category? Chhatrasal will groom someone for the big stage. There's enough evidence for India to have faith in it.
Anmol Kharb will become India's third female badminton medallist
To follow in the footsteps of Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu is no easy task. To follow up a momentous victory at such a young age with consistent performances later is no easy task either. Teenager Anmol Kharb found that out after she was India's star at the Badminton Asia Team Championships in early 2024. She beat several higher-ranked players in big-pressure matches.
India had won three straight medals in women's singles badminton until Tokyo, but that streak was broken in Paris. Kharb has precocious talent, she's got a refreshing mentality as she showed earlier this year. Now, there's just the small matter of adding consistency.
Anahat Singh will win the first squash medal at the Olympics
Well, this might sound wild. But why make only the safe predictions?
At the age of 15, Anahat Singh was already an Asian Games medallist. She has very quickly become India's best female squash player as well. What a time to emerge into the limelight for a sport that will have its biggest moment yet in Los Angeles, when squash becomes part of the Olympic programme.
Anahat certainly is among the best junior players in the world at the moment and is improving with every tournament she plays at the senior level. The Indian squash stalwarts like Joshna Chinappa, Dipika Pallikal and Saurav Ghosal might be too old to pick up the racquet and play in LA, but Anahat certainly can win for all of them.
Sreejesh in Paris, Harmanpreet in LA, a couple of steps higher
There will be changes to the Indian men's hockey team between now and the LA Olympics. One thing that won't change is its captain. It's both scary (for the rest of the world) and reassuring (for Indians) to think that Harmanpreet Singh is still only 28 years old.
He's coach Craig Fulton's general now. He's just inspired his team to a bronze medal. The youngsters coming through are showing so much promise. Fulton will oversee those changes, but will still build his side around his captain. Much like PR Sreejesh in Paris, there is a chance that LA sees the team wanting to play for Harmanpreet.
Of course, as Graham Reid found out after Tokyo, there's plenty of potential to fall flat on your face, but if Fulton has his way for the next four years, that first gold medal since Moscow 1980 certainly can't be far away.