British and Indian athletes to watch out for in London 2012 Olympics
The Olympics opening ceremony, under the direction of Danny Boyle, kicked off on July 27, 2012 at 9pm BST and the actual gaming events started from Saturday, July 28, 2012.
The sporting events including swimming, cycling, gymnastics, canoe, football, hockey, beach volleyball, equestrian, basketball, diving, rowing, shooting, table tennis, weightlifting, rowing, wrestling, athletics, archery, BMX, triathlon and many many more
With the Games almost upon us, take a look at the British and Indian athletes on whom the nations have pinned their Olympics hopes.
Team GB at London 2012 Olympic Games. British athletes to watch out for:
Saturday, July 28: Road cycling
Saturday marked an optimistic start for British athletes with two cycling champs -- world champion Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins (who is riding on the success of his Tour De France win on Sunday, July 22) – aiming to set the winning trend for Britain in the men’s road race.
But Cavendish lost out on the medals in his race. Kazakhstan's Alexandre Vinokourov won the gold in men's road race on day one of London 2012 Olympic Games.
Sunday, July 29: Swimming
On Sunday, another sporting sensation, Rebecca Adlington, the Beijing Olympics gold medalist will look to conquer the swimming pool in London 2012 too.
Ace swimmer Adlington secured a bronze in the final of the women's 400m freestyle on Sunday, July 29, 2012. France's Camille Muffat won the gold and American Allison Schmitt won the silver medal. Adlington's bronze brought GB's medal count to two on day two of London 2012 Olympics. Earlier Lizzie Armitstead won a silver medal in the women's roadrace.
Tuesday, July 31: Canoe Slalom
By now Olympics is well underway. Tuesday will see athlete David Florence go all out for gold in canoe slalom – a perfect sequel to his silver medal four years ago at Beijing.
Wednesday, August 1: Cycling Men’s time trial
Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins will be back in action on Wednesday in the men's time trial. Wiggins already has three Olympic gold medals, one silver and one bronze medal in his kitty.
Thursday, August 2: Track Cycling
This day will be Sir Chris Hoy day. The four-time gold medallist and cycling legend Sir Chris Hoy will add more charm to the Velodrome with his cycling talent.
Other cycling superstars including Victoria Pendleton and Jess Varnish will too be seen in top form on this day.
Friday, August 3: more cycling and swimming, but athletics will finally be here - Heptathlon!
While we will continue seeing Adlington and Pendleton ace in their respective fields, on Friday, all eyes will be on Jessica Ennis at the Olympic stadium excelling at heptathlon.
Sunday, August 5: Men’s 100m final!
For many, men’s 100m defines Olympic games and London 2012 will be no different. Although not part of team GB, Sunday could see ‘lightening’ Usain Bolt break his own record. Other runners to watch out for are: Tyson Gay, Justin Gatlin, Yohan Blake
August 5 is a big day for women’s marathon and men’s tennis final too.
Team GB’s Paula Radcliffe will be aiming for gold in women’s marathon and Grand Slam hopeful Andy Murray could show his winning streak.
Team India at London 2012 Olympic Games. Indian athletes to watch out for:
Shooting:
Olympic Champion in the 10 metre air rifle, Abhinav Bindra, is India’s Olympics success story and best hope at London 2012. He won a gold medal at Beijing Olympics becoming the only Indian individual athlete to do so. But since then, Bindra has won just one international medal -- silver at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
Tennis:
Tennis sensations Leander Paes and Sania Mirza are India’s best bet for gold at London 2012. Despite recent differences, the two are expected to put up a strong fight especially after Paes’s stunning performance at Wimbledon in June 2012.
Wrestling:
Indian world champion wrestler Sushil Kumar Solanki is another star to watch out for in London 2012 Olympic Games.
Solanki, the London 2012 qualifier, has won several gold medals including those for the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships in 2005 and 2007 and the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi. He also became the first Indian to win a gold medal at FILA 2010 World Wrestling Championships, in Moscow in 2010. Solanki was appointed India's flag-bearer at the London Olympics.
Badminton:
India will hope that badminton champion Saina Nehwal will continue her winning charm at London 2012.
Nehwal is at her career-best this year after winning the Swiss Open Grand Prix at Basel and an Indonesian tournament.
Lightweight Boxing:
Gold medalist in the Asian Games lightweight boxing, Vikas Krishnan Yadav, is another Olympic hopeful from India. The 20-year-old rose to fame with a gold media in 2012 at the Youth World Amateur Championships.
Women’s Boxing:
Manipuri boxer Mary Kom has been a World Boxing Champion for five years in succession. The only woman to have won a medal in 6 AIBA championships, India has high hopes for Kom. Although Kom lost in the semi-finals in the Asian Games 2012, her supporters are optimistic about her performance in London 2012 Olympics.
Hockey:
Indian hockey team
India’s national sport is hockey and the team has put in great efforts to make its mark in the Olympic Games. However, the team didn’t have a great start at the Tri-Nations series held in Spain in July, just ahead of the big games. With the nation’s full support, the boys are likely to show their best.
Shooting:
21-year-old Heena Sidhu, a dental surgery student, stunned the nation with her performance at the Commonwealth games in 2010. She went on to claim her first gold at the games. Previously, Sidhu has won a silver at the Beijing World Cup in 2009. With a silver and a gold in her kitty, Indian Olympics fans are pinning their hope on Sidhu as they are on Bindra.
Who are you supporting, let us know by writing to us at .
Catch up on Olympics news with IndiaNewsBulletin's coverage of London 2012 Olympic Games.
