After achieving their highest-ever medal tally in the Tokyo 2020, India is eyeing to bag medals in double digits this time around. They will participate in 16 sports in the competition and will rub shoulders against elite athletes around the world. But, the country will be represented in other ways as well as many athletes of Indian origin will participate in the Games for multiple nations. Here are some of the athletes of Indian origin who are going to appear in the Paris Games.
Rajeev Ram (USA)
The parents of the 40-year-old moved from Bengaluru, Karnataka to Denver, USA and Rajeev was born there. His mother Susham worked as a scientific technician while his father Raghav was a botanist who died of pancreatic cancer in April 2019. Ram chose a different path and opted to choose Tennis as a profession.
Rajeev won the Australian Open in 2019 at the age of 34 in the mixed doubles. It was his first Grand Slam title. Following that, he has added five more Grand Slam titles which include one in mixed doubles and four in men’s doubles.
Shanti Pereira (Singapore)
Veronica Shanti Pereira, also known as Singapore’s Sprint Queen has her roots in Kerala. Her grandparents moved from Vettukad, Thiruvananthapuram to Singapore after Shanti’s grandfather was hired there. Pereira won a silver in the women's 100m track and field last year in the Asian Games and broke Singapore’s 49-year-long wait for the medal.
Pereira has numerous records under her belt including a record of 22.69 seconds at the SEA (South East Asian) games and 22.70 seconds at the Asian Athletics Championships in 200m. Also, between February 2014 to March 2024, she has created six national records.
Prithika Pavade (France)
Prithika’s dad grew up in Puducherry and when he married, he moved to France. Prthika’s father who was also a table tennis player introduced his daughter to the sport at just the age of six. Her rise has been so fast that she made her Olympic debut at the tender age of 16 in Tokyo four years back. She is seeded 12th in the women’s singles and will aim to secure a podium finish for her country but it will be a daunting task for her to assure herself of a medal.
Amar Dhesi (Canada)
Amarveer’s father Balbir Dhesi, who belonged to the Punjabi village of Sanghwal in the district of Jalandhar is a former Greeco-Roman national champion. After completing his training at the NIS Patiala and landing a position in the Punjab Police he moved to Canada in hunt of better opportunities and his son Amarveer was born in Surrey, British Columbia, a small province on the country's western coast.
Amarveer secured an Olympic berth through the 2024 Pan American Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament. The wrestler will compete in the 125kg category set to resume on August 5.
Kanak Jha (USA)
One more athlete on the list of players of Indian origin is Kanak Jha. Her mother Karuna is from Mumbai while her father Arun was raised in Kolkata. Both parents are IT professionals. Kanak became the youngest player ever to qualify for the Olympics in 2016. The two-time Olympian will be seeking his first Olympic medal in Paris. He has also made a quarterfinal appearance in the World Championship.
Jha was the USA’s youngest athlete at the 2016 Rio Olympics and also the first American to win a medal in the Youth Olympic Games in Argentina in 2018.
