Apart from Neeraj, the Indian athletics contingent has a full schedule. Tejaswin Shankar begins his demanding decathlon campaign with five events spread throughout the day, while Tajinderpal Singh Toor and Samardeep Singh Gill will compete in the men’s shot put final.
Seema Kaliramna and Nidhi Rani start in the women’s discus final, and Parul Chaudhary aims for a podium finish in the women’s 5000m.
Vishal TK, Animesh Kujur and the Indian men’s track cycling team also have important competitions scheduled, while Martina Devi Maibam and Lovepreet Singh will look to add medals in weightlifting.
India enter Day 8 with momentum after an impressive performance on Wednesday. Murali Sreeshankar secured his second consecutive Commonwealth Games silver medal in the men’s long jump, while para sprinter Dilip Mahadu Gavit claimed gold in the men’s T47 100m after setting a Games record. Mohammed Basil Morssinganakth added another silver, and Indian boxing enjoyed a memorable day with several semi-final qualifications, guaranteeing at least 10 medals for the country.
The strong showing took India’s medal tally to 15 medals, three gold, nine silver and three bronze, placing the nation eighth in the standings.
Australia’s dominance continues with 103 medals, including 47 gold, while Canada and England occupy the next two positions. With Neeraj Chopra finally entering the competition and several medal events lined up, Thursday presents another big opportunity for India to climb the medal table.