NEW DELHI After a medal-less Wednesday, India will be in with a chance to clinch another when Swapnil Kusale starts shooting at the National Shooting Centre in Chateauroux on Thursday. Indian race walkers will also be in action, but a podium finish may be out of their reach.

Here are the five things to watch out for on Thursday:

Shooting

While Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar missed out, Swapnil Kusale has a brilliant chance of winning a medal after making the final of the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions competition. If Kusale reaches the podium, it will be the first time India will have won three shooting medals from the same Olympics. Sift Kaur Samra and Anjum Moudgil will also be in action in the 50m rifle 3 positions women’s qualification, hoping to make Friday’s final.

Time: 1PM

Badminton

It will be a big day for Indian badminton on Thursday as Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be up against former world champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia. Double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu also faces a tough test against He Bing Jiao of China in a repeat of Tokyo 2020’s bronze medal playoff in the women’s singles Round of 16. Lakshya Sen, who looked in sensational form after beating Jonatan Christie, will face compatriot HS Prannoy or Vietnam’s Le Duc Phat in the men’s singles Round of 16.

Time: 12PM

Golf

Golf action begins at the Paris Olympics as men’s Day 1 will commence on Thursday. Two Indians – Gaganjeet Bhullar and Shubhankar Sharma – will be in the fray, hoping to medal come Sunday.

Time: 12:30PM

Hockey

The big advantage the Indian men’s hockey team have is that they have qualified for the quarter-finals. So the pressure is off. They will need a lot of confidence and courage as they take on reigning champions and world No.1 Belgium in their penultimate Pool B contest. Belgium too will be playing without pressure, having qualified for the last eight. They crushed powerhouse Australia 6-2 in their previous game.

Time: 1:30PM

Boxing

A big day for Indian boxing as Nikhat Zareen will be seen in action in women’s 50kg Round of 16. However, the two-time world champion faces a tough test in top seed and reigning world champion Wu Yu of China.

Time: 2:30PM

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