Olympics: Indian athletes to join campaign from tomorrow

ATHENS, AUGUST 17 (PTI)India's top athletes will join the nation's stuttering Olympic campaign from tomorrow, with hardly any realistic chance of winning a medal but hoping to at least put up a show worthy enough to be noticed.

Barring ace long jumper Anju Bobby George, none of the other athletes appear to belong to the elite list to cause a stir in the Olympic arena which will see the world's big guns battle for glory.

The Indian athletes have had an extensive build-up to the mega event but it remains to be seen whether thay can lift the general pall of gloom that has descended on the Indian camp with one day after another going without a medal.

An India-based british soldier Norman Pritchard has been the only one to win medals in athletics when he claimed two silver medals in the Paris Games in 1900 but a century has lapsed since any other athlete has made it to the medal podium.

Seasoned shot putter Bahadur Singh will set the ball rolling for the Indians with men's shot put final scheduled on the opening day of athletic competitions tomorrow at the Olympia Stadium.

After a day of rest, the athletic action will resume at the Main Olympic Stadium from August 20 with India sheduled to take part in heptathlon, men's discus throw, women' discus throw and men's 400m run.