Athletics, shooting, and badminton underperformed. Why? A 25% smaller team (495 athletes vs 661) and stricter selection rules meant stars like Jyothi Yarraji and Praveen Chithravel were left out. The result? Only 1 gold in athletics (vs 6 earlier). Shooting medals dropped 32%. Even PV Sindhu & Co. failed to medal. A late surge in boxing, wrestling, and hockey saved the fourth-place finish. With 2036 Olympics ambitions on the line, this isn’t just about medals; it’s about whether India’s sports strategy is actually working. The big question: Are we picking the right athletes… or just the ‘safe’ ones?