Tokyo: On the eighth day of the Tokyo Olympics, athletics events will start. India will have its representation in athletics in the form of Avinash Sable in men's 3000m Steeplechase, MP Jabir in men's 400m hurdles and women's 4x400m relay team will take part in Heat 2.
India still has one medal - a silver - to its credit at the Tokyo Olympics, and its position on the Olympic medal tally keeps drowning as the Games complete one week. The search for the second metal has been persistent. Though India's dry run has been making fans back home desperate, there still have been some of the big names of world sports competing in the Games.
Here is the list of athletes and teams to watch out for on July 30.
Deepika Kumari - Archery
Archer Deepika Kumar keeps shining at the biggest stage of world sports, the Olympics. After her three gold at Paris World Cup in June, she is now taking the Olympics by storm. The 27-year-old archer on Friday will take on Ksenia Perova, who is representing the Russian Olympic Committee in the women's individual event.
Deepika defeated Bhutan's Karma in the Round of 32 and Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez of the USA in the Round of 16 to confirm her place in the Round of eight. A win on Friday will take her a step closer to an Olympic medal.
PV Sindhu - Badminton
India's only medal hope in badminton left in the Olympics is PV Sindhu, who will face Akane Yamaguchi in the quarterfinal on Friday afternoon. It is expected to be one heck of a match. Sindhu and Yamaguchi have been in explosive form in the Olympics. Both won their last three matches by straight games.
However, Sindhu has an edge over the Japanese shuttler as the World No. 7 Indian athlete has an 11-7 head-to-head record against the World No. 5 Yamaguchi, having beaten the 24-year old Japanese in the All England Open quarters most recently in March this year.
Lovlina Borgohain, Simranjit Kaur - Boxing
After Mary Kom's exit from the Olympics, India's medal hopes in women's boxing will depend on welterweight boxer Lovlina Borogohain and light-welterweight boxer Simranjit Kaur.
The boxing duo is just a win away from an Olympic medal. On Thursday, they can make millions of Indians happy. So far, Mirabai Chanu is the only Indian to win a medal - a silver - in Tokyo 2020.
Indian men's team - Hockey
After securing their place in the quarterfinal beating Argentina 3-1 in their third Group A mat on Wednesday, the Indian men's hockey team will aim to improve their standing in the group to get a favourable tie in the quarterfinal.
On Friday, India will take on the host Japan who lost all of their previous four matches. India will hope to register a massive victory to up their ante in the ongoing Olympics.
