The Olympics may seem like a long time ago now, but the heroics that were achieved by some of the best Indian athletes are still fresh in the memory. Indian overachieved massively at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, as they won medals in events that they weren’t among the sports betting favourites to win. The games in Tokyo will go down as the most successful in the history of Indian sports, but who were some of the stars that captured their moment in history? Did you bet on them? Maybe these names will be ones to watch out for while constructing your multi bets.
Best Online Sports Betting Sites
Sports betting online was popular throughout the Olympic Games in Tokyo, with the leading sites offering markets on all sports that were competed. As previously mentioned, India wasn’t among the online sports betting favourites to win that many medals in Tokyo, but they surpassed all expectations by having their best Olympics in history.
Over the summer, those that betted with the best sports betting online sites watched on in amazement, as India won more medals than in any previous Games. Indian athletes won seven medals in total, which was five better than their haul from Rio in 2016. It outdid their previous high tally of six medals from London 2012, with one of their seven medals in Tokyo being gold. Two medals were silver, and an astonishing four bronze medals were won. It will certainly improve India’s chances in the next Olympics when it comes to the markets offered by the best online sports betting sites.
Athletics - A Historic Indian Gold
There was history made in athletics at the 2020 Games, as India won their first-ever athletic gold medal in Tokyo. It was a moment that many of the top sports betting online sites thought would never come, but Neeraj Chopra achieved the impossible and won gold in the men’s javelin throw. Chopra threw a distance of 86.65 in qualification, before going further in the final to throw 87.58.
That distance was slightly short of the national record that he holds of 88.07, but was still enough to win gold and rank as the second-best in the world rankings. It was also the sixth gold medal of his career, having won the top prize at the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Asian Championships previously.
Indian Badminton Star Shines Again
There was also success in badminton for an Indian athlete at the Tokyo Olympics. Before the games in the summer, India had won one bronze and one silver in Badminton. However, Pusarla Sindhu ensured that she made more history in Japan. She cruised through the group stages of the competition, winning both of her two matches at that stage. She then successfully made it past the elimination round, before overcoming Japanese player Akane Yamaguchi in the quarterfinal stage.
Sindhu was however beaten for the first time in the competition at the semi-final stage, which meant that she was forced to settle for the bronze medal match. However, she overcame He Bj from China, winning 21-13, 21-15 in straight sets. It was another famous success for the Indian, as she added to the silver medal that she won in Rio in 2016.
The Resurgence Of Indian Hockey
One of the most celebrated medals that the Indian travelling team won in the Tokyo games on the hockey turf. Field hockey had been an event that India dominated throughout the early games, but a long wait for a medal in the event finally came to an end in Japan. The win in the bronze medal match ensured that the Indian national team won the first medal since the 1980 Olympics, and certainly bolds well for their chances in the future. The youthful talent that is coming through in the sport now will certainly see their odds decrease with the top online sports betting sites when comes to the gold medal race in Paris for the next Olympics.
India certainly needed to showcase all their ability throughout the tournament. The men’s team beat New Zealand, Japan, Argentina and Spain in the group stages, before overcoming Great Britain in the quarterfinal stages. However, defeat in the semi-final against Belgium meant that India needed to settle for the bronze medal match. However, they showed great character in that fixture to beat Germany 5-4. The women’s team were very unlucky in their hunt for a medal, as they lost to Great Britain in their bronze medal match.
Boxing-Power To Women
There was also success in the boxing ring for India. Lovlina Borgohain had the whole country excited, as she managed to make it through to the latter stages. She overcame Nadine Apetz in round 16 of the welterweight competition, before then easily making it past Chen Nien-Chi. However, her gold medal hopes were routinely ended at the semi-final stage, as she was beaten 5-0 by Busenaz Surmeneli. Regardless, her performances throughout the competition caught the imagination, and she left Tokyo with a bronze medal.
Wrestling-A New Dawn For India
The biggest achievements for the country came in the wrestling events, as two competitors from India won medals. Ravi Kumar Dahiya won a silver medal. He was excellent throughout the competition and easily made it through to the final after beating Oscar Tigeros, Georgi Vangelov and Nurislam Sanayev. He was very unfortunate in the final, as the contest could have gone either way, but he was eventually beaten by a close margin by Zaur Uguev.
There was also further success in the men’s wrestling event, as Bajrang Punia won bronze in the 65kg event. He also looked dominant throughout the early rounds, before eventually having to settle for bronze after losing by a close margin against Haji Aliyev in the semi-final stage. Punia made no mistake in the bronze medal match, as he beat Daulet Niyazbekov 3-0.
Indias Sports Stars Look To The Future
It was an excellent summer of action in Japan for Indian athletes, and their performances will live long in the memories of fans, as they achieved their best medal haul in Olympic history. The sights will quickly turn to Paris in three years now, as Indian bettors will be looking to make wagers on the top sports betting online sites for the country to win more medals in 2024.
Before you can bet on the Olympics in Paris follow these stars and see how they continue to shine at national and international competitions.
