Who Is India's Youngest And Oldest Athlete At Paris Olympics 2024 ?

NEW DELHI: The stage is set for the 117-strong Indian contingent to shine in the upcoming Paris Olympic Games 2024 which is just a few days away.

As excitement grips ahead of the sporting extravaganza to be held in the city of romance, all hopes will rest on the Indian athletes to claim glory for the country and surpass the best-ever mark of 7 medals in the Olympics.

India has a fine balance of experience and youth in almost every discipline. On the one hand, 44-year-old tennis veteran Rohan Bopanna will be the oldest athlete to represent the Indian contingent in the Paris Olympics.

On the other extreme end, 14-year-old Dhinidhi Desinghu will also script history by becoming the youngest athlete to feature in the Indian contingent.

Indian tennis legend Rohan Bopanna will get perhaps his last opportunity to take a shot at an Olympic medal at Paris. This will be the senior campaigner's third appearance in the Olympics.

Earlier, Bopanna and Mahesh Bhupati paired together in London 2012 but crashed out in the second round of the men's doubles event.

It was second time unlucky for Bopanna in the 2016 Rio Games as he, along with his partner Leander Paes, were knocked out of the men's doubles competition in the opening round. 

However, Bopanna and his mixed doubles partner Sania Mirza nearly brought home a medal as the mixed doubles pair lost the bronze medal match to Lucie Hradecka and Radek Stepaneck of the Czech Republic in straight sets.

While Bopanna did not qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, the 44-year-old tennis legend, who has been ageing like fine wine, secured the quota for India owing to his superior ranking on the ATP tour - World No. 4.

The veteran tennis ace will team up with World No. 62 N Sriram Balaji this time around for the Paris Games, which will presumably be his last Olympics.

Meanwhile, Dhinidhi Desinghu, the 14-year-old swimming prodigy from Bengaluru, is set to make history as India's youngest athlete at the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

This incredible feat comes after she was awarded the Universality quota by the Olympic Games Tripartite Commission, alongside seasoned swimmer Srihari Nataraj.

The youngster will participate in the women's 200m freestyle event, making her the second youngest Indian Olympian in history, with Aarti Saha holding the record for the youngest Indian Olympian at the tender age of 11 in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

Desinghu, who is currently in ninth grade in school, has already showcased extraordinary talent and dedication to her craft and her future looks promising.

However, the Paris Olympics will not be the first time that the 14-year-old wonderkid will take center-stage as Dhinidhi Desinghu had previously participated in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou and the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha.

ALSO READ: India's Olympic Contingent for Paris 2024 Emphasizes Essential Support Staff Over Past Excesses

ALSO WATCH: