The 19th edition of the Asian Games is set to be held in Hangzhou, China, from September 23 to October 8 this year. While some team events like football, volleyball and rowing have already kicked off from September 19, the Games will officially begin from Saturday.

Postponed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Asian Games has been a stepping stone for many young athletes to announce their arrival in the big league. Numerous stars have emerged from the continental event every four years, and while some have already made their names in other big ticket events, there are many who will be looking forward to a stellar debut in the prestigious event.

For India, there are a few exciting names who will be eyeing a spot at the podium on debut in their respective disciplines. Reigning world and Commonwealth Games champion boxer Nikhat Zareen leads the chart along with Punjab’s long and middle distance runner Harmilan Bains, and a few more. Here’s a list of five Indian debutants to look out for during the Asian Games:

Nikhat Zareen – Boxing

Reigning world and Commonwealth champion Nikhat Zareen will make her debut in women’s 50kg category event at the Asian Games. Out of the shadows of the legendary MC Mary Kom, Nikhat has already made a name for herself in the category in the past couple of years, and looks a strong contender for the gold medal in Hangzhou.

With an Olympic quota on offer, the 27-year-old from Nizamabad will also look to seal her berth for Paris 2024 by topping the podium at the Asian Games.

Harmilan Kaur Bains – Women’s 800m, 1500m

Having missed out on a chance to represent India at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham due to a knee injury, national record holder in women’s 1500m Harmilan Kaur Bains will be competing in two events (800m and 1500m) at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.

Harmilan recently returned with a silver medal at the Birmingham University Grand Prix in July, and also took part other events in the UK (Loughborough and Manchester) to test her comeback. Harmilan made the cut for the Asian Games in both the 800m and the 1500m during the national championships held in Bhubaneswar in June. In the 1500m, she clocked 4:08.50.

As such she is India’s medal hopeful in both 800m and 1500m events, despite having mastered in the latter event on many occasions.

Jyothi Yarraji – Women’s 100m Hurdles, 200m

National record holder in women’s 100m hurdles, Jyothi Yarraji will make her Asian Games debut in Hangzhou. She is the first Indian woman to run sub-13 seconds in the event. Jyothi recorded her personal best in 100m hurdles – 12.78s – at the World University Games in Chengdu last month. As such, she stands a good chance to finish on the podium on her Games debut.

This season, the 24-year-old from Visakhapatnam won a gold medal at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok, besides bagging a silver medal at the same tournament in the 200m event and will be in action in both categories in Hangzhou.

Charanjot Singh – FIFA Online 4

India’s Charanjot Singh is the top-seeded athlete in FIFAe, one of the seven official Esports events at this edition. Esports will officially be included for the first time at the Asian Games in Hangzhou after being a demonstration discipline five years ago in Jakarta.

Charanjot, who hails from Chandigarh, earned the right to be the top seed after he registered commanding victories over Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in August. He also represented India in the FIFAe Nations Cup 2023.

Anahat Singh – Squash

Last year, Anahat Singh became the youngest Indian member of the Indian contingent for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Anahat, now 15, will look for a stellar debut at the Asian Games.

Fresh from a gold medal win in the U-17 category of the Asian Junior Squash Individual Championships in China last month, Anahat will look to make use of the experience of playing in the country when she opens her campaign in the women’s squash event of the Asian Games.

Earlier this year, the Delhi girl emerged winner in the U-15 category of the British Junior Open Squash, beating Sohaila Hazem of Egypt in the final.