Paris Olympics 2024 kick-started with a grand opening ceremony on Friday. A total of 117 athletes are representing India at the quadrennial event, aiming for a good medal tally. India's badminton contingent is led by the two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu, which also consists of the dynamic duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. The duo is strong contender for the gold medal as India's badminton campaign will begin on Saturday. Recently, former Indian shuttler Parupalli Kashayp called Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy the "dark horses" of the team.
This is the first time two Indian men will compete at the Olympics since 2004. Kashyap feels that both players have the capability of creating major upsets.
"I think Lakshya and Prannoy are one of the dark horses in the draw. Both of them, especially Lakshya played the All-England final two years back. During the Olympic qualification, he came out of a tough qualification period. Especially the initial patch of the qualification was tough for him. He had a couple of first-round losses but the way he qualified by making it to two semi-finals and getting good wins against top-level opponents.... It shows his calibre," Kashyap, who is also an Olympics Expert on JioCinema & Sports18, told NDTV during an interaction.
"Both Lakshya and Prannoy have faced tough situations and have come out trumps. They both are part of the Thomas Cup winning team and have huge experience in big matches. They are capable of anything but they are surely the dark horses. They can beat anyone in the draw, be it Li Shi Feng or Victor. I won't say they are the favourites, but they have a huge chance to create upsets and progress in the tournament," he added.
PV Sindhu will also aim to end her long title drought. Kashyap stated that Sindhu, who last won the Commonwealth Games gold in 2022, will be an "underdog" but her opponents would be wary of her credentials.
"It's her third Olympics, she won two medals in the last two Olympics and several world championship medals. So I think she feels she has an edge already even though her ranking doesn't say it or her recent form doesn't say it," said Kashyap.
"In major events, I think the opponents also are a little wary of her even though she's not in form. I think she's going as a dark horse and underdog considering the last two years of women's singles," he added.
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