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Medal
Prospects For The Indians
P.
Gopichand: Badminton
 World
No. 12 Pullela Gopichand has just come off a semi-final in Malaysia where
he made gold medal favourite Taufiq Hidayat sweat. Gopi says, "Getting
to the Games is not all."
Watch: September 16-23
Abhinav
Bindra: Shooting
 A
17-year-old with the talent and temperament to be a champion, Bindra's
world junior record score of 596 out of 600 from 60 shots at a target
5 mm-wide, earned him a wild card to Sydney. He started at seven, firing
his air-rifle at empty bottles placed on the heads of near and dear ones
and now talks like a pro: "Pressure is necessary for a good performance.
I need it like air or water."
Watch: September 15-17
Dhanraj
Pillay: Hockey
 He
may not be skipper, but the 32-year-old striker is the man the Indian
team will depend on in its attempt to end a two decade-long medal drought.
Dhanraj Pillai will play in his third and last Olympics but is fitter
than ever and faster than most. He covers 30 m in 3.8 seconds and instead
of being a flashy centre-forward, has matured into a playmaker in the
company of old partner Mukesh Kumar. Together the two veterans spearhead
a team that finds itself in the formidable company of Australia, Germany
and Spain in the preliminary league. Well begun will be more than half
done for the Indians and Pillai knows that from the bitter experience
of Olympics past.
Watch: September 15-30
Ngangom
Dinko Singh: Boxing
 The
boy from an Imphal children's home gave India its first boxing gold in
16 years at the Asian Games. An injury to the crafty bantamweight's fist
has bothered the close-knit Indian squad but the feisty Dingko fights
best when he is doubted.
Watch: September 15-30
Gurbinder
Singh: Wrestling
 The
24-year-old Graeco-Roman wrestler earned a qualifying berth for India
for the first time since 1992 but will go to Sydney without his personal
coach Hargobind Singh. The 63-kg wrestler must win two bouts in a tough
league to move into the last eight.
Watch: September 23-26
Leander
Paes and Mahesh Bhupati: Tennis
"I didn't want to turn 50 and then look back at this time and say,
'Jeez I wish we had got back together for Sydney'," says Paes. Amen,
says Bhupathi and Indian tennis' double act is reunited for a shot at
immortality.
Watch: September 18-27
Laurembam
Brojeshwari Devi: Judo
 She
wanted to lift weights but was told her family couldn't afford the diet.
The 19-year-old judoka has earned dislocated bones and the reputation
of being a fast-learning adversary.
Watch on September 17
Shakti
Singh: Shot Put
 This
38-year-old switched events from the discus to shot put due to injury
and set an Asian record of 20.60m in July. A place in the final 12 in
Sydney is a strong possibility. The world mark of 23.12 is too far away.
Watch: September 21-22
Karnam Malleswari & Sanamacha Chanu: Weightlifting
  The
women weightlifters are India's best medal
hopes but travel to the Games with worries on their mind. Two-time world
champion Karnam Malleshwari (left) will be competing in the 69 kg for the
first time. She has experience on her side but teammate Sanamacha Chanu
has to banish memories of an unhappy 1999 World Championships and find the
form that made her Asian champion earlier in the year. Their competition
will come from the Chinese, Taiwanese and Bulgarian women.
Watch: September 18-19
K.
Matthew Beenamol, Paramjit Kaur, Jincy Philips,
Manjuma Kuriakose: 4X400m Relay
 When
this unheralded Indian quartet broke a 13-year-old national record in
Chennai at the end of July, they also clocked the world's sixth fastest
time in the long relay this year. These quarter-milers recorded 3:28.11,
smashing the previous national record of 3:31.55 set in Rome in 1987 by
one of Indian athletics' best relay squads, P.T. Usha, Shiny Abraham,
Vandana Shanbag and Vandana Rao. The Russian team leads the relay standings
in a time of 3:25.50 followed by the US and the Czech Republic all clocking
under 3:28.
Watch: September 29-30
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Is
the market right in backing cartelisation by cement companies, asks India
Today Associate Editor V. Shankar Aiyar in Au ContrAiyar 