Paris Olympics: Indian Youth Olympic Medalists going to Paris

As the Paris Summer Olympics draws near, several Indian athletes are poised to make their mark on the global stage.

While it will be the debut Olympics for many, there is a group of athletes that have done well at the Youth Olympics.

Today, we look at the Indian athletes who won medals at the Youth Olympics and are now on their way to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

• Lakshya Sen- Badminton

One of the rising stars of Indian badminton, Lakshya Sen has been on a constant rise in the past few years. Under the watchful eyes of legendary Prakash Padukone, he started his career at Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy.

He won a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Junior Championship in the boy’s singles category, and later he shone at the Summer Youth Olympics with a silver medal in men's singles and a gold medal in the mixed team event.

Soon, he would go on to win the 2021 World Championships bronze medal and play the final of the All England Open 2022. In 2022, he also won the historic Thomas Cup with the Indian team.

This will be the debut Olympics for the shuttler from Almora, Uttarakhand.

• Manu Bhaker- Shooting

Going into her second Olympics in Paris, Manu Bhaker is one of the most prolific Indian pistol shooters at the moment.

With a big medal cabinet including the ISSF World Cup gold medal, Commonwealth Games gold medal, and Asian Games gold, Manu also has the 2018 Youth Olympics gold medal to her name.

The 16-year-old Manu became the first shooter from India and the first female athlete from India to grab a gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games when she won the gold in the 10m air pistol.

Having already played at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Manu will be eyeing the glory at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

• Praveen Chithravel- Triple Jump

India's triple jump national record holder Praveen Chithravel will be going to his debut Olympics. The jumper from Tamil Nadu is an Asian Games medalist and holds the NR with a distance of 17.37m.

He won the bronze medal at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

• Vivek Sagar Prasad- Hockey

One of the mainstays of the Indian hockey team from a very young age, Vivek Sagar Prasad has the distinction of winning medals at the Youth Olympics and the Summer Olympic Games.

The native of Madhya Pradesh, Vivek became the second youngest player ever to debut for the Indian senior hockey team. He debuted at the age of 17 years, 10 months and 22 days.

He won the silver medal at the 2018 Youth Olympics and then went on to the bronze medal with the senior team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

• Sanjay- Hockey

Another hockey player on the list, Sanjay was part of the same team as Vivek Sagar Prasad and won the silver medal at the 2018 Youth Olympics as part of the Indian men's hockey team.

He started his career at Chandigarh Hockey Academy, under the guidance of Coach Gurminder Singh from 2011-2017. Sanjay played at the School Asia Cup, in 2017 and later represented India at Junior World Cup, in 2021.

He will be making his debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

• HS Prannoy- Badminton

India's best male shuttler in singles in the past year, HS Prannoy is a known face to the Indian badminton fans.

The man from Kerala is known to be one of the best Indian players to pick up the racquet. A world championship and Asian Games medalist, HS Prannoy was a crucial part of the Thomas Cup-winning Indian team in 2022.

In 2023, he ended India's wait of 41 years to win a medal in men's singles category at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

A badminton prodigy, HS Prannoy won the silver medal at the inaugural edition of the Youth Olympics in 2010 in Singapore.

• Suraj Panwar- 5000m Race Walk

Suraj Panwar was the first Indian racewalker to win the Youth Olympics medal as he won the silver medal in the 2018 Youth Olympics.

He clocked 20:23.30s in the 5000m Racewalk final to confirm his medal in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

He is now heading towards his first Olympics at the Paris Olympics 2024 starting this year after earning a ranking quota for the country.

However, the young 23-year-old will only take part in the mixed relay marathon racewalk final alongside Priyanka Goswami