24 Service athletes in Indian squad for Paris Olympics

New Delhi: Twenty-four personnel from the armed forces, including ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and two women participants, are among the 117 Indian athletes who are set to test their mettle at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The presence of two women athletes in the contingent marks the maiden participation of female Service athletes at the Olympics, said the Ministry of Defence in a statement on Saturday.

Chopra, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medallist, is a Subedar in the Indian Army.

Chopra will again vie for the top honours as his participation in the Olympics comes on the back of exceptional performances which earned him a gold medal each at the 2023 Asian Games, 2023 World Athletics Championship, 2024 Diamond League, and 2024 Paavo Nurmi Games.

Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Havildar Jaismine Lamboria and 2023 Asian Wrestling Championships bronze medallist Chief Petty Officer Reetika Hooda are the two women Service personnel who are taking part in the Games. They will feature in boxing and wrestling respectively.

Amit Panghal (boxing), Tajinderpal Singh Toor (shot put), Avinash Mukund Sable (3000m steeplechase), Muhammed Anas Yahiya,  Muhammed Ajmal, Santhosh Kumar Tamilarasan and Mijo Chacko Kurian (4x400m men's relay), Abdulla Aboobacker (triple jump), Tarundeep Rai and Dhiraj Bommadevara (archery) and Sandeep Singh (shooting) are also among the Service personnel who would aim to bring laurels to the country.

Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi had earlier interacted, via video conference, with the Indian Army athletes who are set to compete in the Olympics.