From the inaugural appearance of India at the Olympics in 1900 to the present day, Indian athletes have left an unforgettable mark, earning medals and setting records that inspire generations across the globe.
While India may not have as sparkly a track record as some other countries, (for example, the United States currently holds 2,629 Olympic Medals while India has 35) that doesn’t mean that each and every athlete who has ever attended the games hasn’t inspired someone in some way.
A big reason why other countries have so many medal-winning athletes at the Games is because the citizens there have more resources to be able to spend lots of time and money on the highest training technology and the most cutting-edge techniques.
India may not have an abundance of people who can dedicate their time to these intensive athletic pursuits (which can take up all of a person’s time to the point where they cannot hold a job, pursue education, or take care of their families), but even with these limitations, there have been many amazing Indian athletes who can hold their own against the “best-trained” athletes of other countries. Every athlete who represents India on the world stage at the Olympics each year proves that the dedicated, hard-working people of Bharat are just as fierce as the rest of them!
Let’s take a look at all the Olympic achievements India’s athletes have attained over the years.
India At Paris Olympics 2024
The Indian contingent for the games consisted of 117 athletes (110 competitors and 7 alternates) in addition to 118 support staff and 22 officials. Gagan Narang was appointed as the chef de mission (head of mission) and Shiva Keshavan as his deputy.
Updated as of 5th August 2024:
India's medal count at the Paris Olympics 2024 currently stands at 3. Manu Bhaker secured an individual bronze medal and a team bronze medal. Additionally, Swapnil won a bronze shooting medal.
More information about our Olympic Medal Winners 2024:
Manu Bhaker, an Indian sport shooter and Olympic medalist, won two bronze medals at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. She secured a bronze in the women's 10 metre air pistol event, becoming the first female shooter from India to win a medal at any Olympics. Subsequently, she earned another bronze medal in the mixed 10 metre air pistol team event, becoming the first Indian woman to win two medals in a single Olympics.
Bhaker won gold at the 2022 Asian Games in the women's 25m pistol team event. She earned her individual gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the women's 10-metre air pistol event, where she set a new Commonwealth Games record.
Earlier, she had become the youngest Indian to win a gold at the ISSF World Cup in 2018 at 16.
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Swapnil Kusale, an Indian sport shooter, won the bronze medal in the men's 50-metre rifle three positions event at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
In 2015, he won gold in the junior category of the 50m rifle prone 3 event at the Asian Shooting Championships in Kuwait. That same year, he also won the 59th National Shooting Championship in the 50m rifle prone event, ahead of Gagan Narang and Chain Singh. In 2017, he repeated his gold medal performance in the 50m rifle 3 position event at the 61st National Championship in Thiruvananthapuram.
In October 2022, he earned an Olympic quota berth for India in the men's 50-metre rifle 3 position event with a fourth-place finish at the 2022 ISSF World Shooting Championships in Cairo. In May 2024, he was selected in the Indian Olympic team for the 50m rifle 3 positions event after the trials in Delhi and Bhopal.
At the 2024 Olympics, Kusale became the first Indian to qualify for the final of the men's 50 metre rifle three positions event and won the bronze medal with a score of 451.4 in the final.
#parisolympics2024
Who Was the First Olympic Gold Medalist in India?
The very first gold medal for India was won by India Men's National Field Hockey Team in the 1928 Paris Olympics.
This accomplishment was a great feat because not only was it the team’s first-ever appearance at the Olympics, and not only was it the first time Indians (as opposed to only British-Indians) won a medal, but they also managed to win with 0 goals made against them from the group stage to the finals.
The team would go on to win five more consecutive gold medals, and then two more later on, for a total of eight golds. They have also won quite a few silver and bronze medals since their literal Golden Years.
Furthermore, they are also the first ones to win gold for India both pre-independence and post-independence.
Who Was the First Individual to Win an Olympic Gold Medal for India?
The first individual person to win gold for India was Abhinav Bindra in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He won in the Shooting category, in the 10-metre air rifle event.
Beyond the Olympics, he has also won many other medals in the Commonwealth Games, the World Championships, and the Asian Games.
Always a prodigy, Bindra was the youngest participant in the 1998 Commonwealth Games at age 15. He was also the youngest Indian participant ever at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where he placed 11th in the qualification round, and therefore did not medal. He was, however, honoured with the Arjuna Award that year for his efforts.
He again participated in the Olympics in 2004 in Athens, where he made it to the finals, but did not medal.
It was at his third Olympics appearance in 2008 that he finally won a medal - gold, no less! This is even more impressive when you know that he had suffered a back injury that interrupted his training leading up to the Olympics; he had been unable to lift a rifle for about a year.
His final Olympic appearance was in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, where he did not medal.
Olympic Gold Medalist in India List
Here is a list of all the Olympic Medal winners representing India since 1900.
| Year | Olympian | Category | Event | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris 1900 | Norman Pritchard | Athletics | Men's 200m | Silver |
| Paris 1900 | Norman Pritchard | Athletics | Men's 200m hurdles | Silver |
| Amsterdam 1928 | Indian hockey team | Hockey | Men's hockey | Gold |
| Los Angeles 1932 | Indian hockey team | Hockey | Men's hockey | Gold |
| Berlin 1936 | Indian hockey team | Hockey | Men's hockey | Gold |
| London 1948 | Indian hockey team | Hockey | Men's hockey | Gold |
| Helsinki 1952 | Indian hockey team | Hockey | Men's hockey | Gold |
| Helsinki 1952 | KD Jadhav | Wrestling | Men's bantamweight | Bronze |
| Melbourne 1956 | Indian hockey team | Hockey | Men's hockey | Gold |
| Rome 1960 | Indian hockey team | Hockey | Men's hockey | Silver |
| Tokyo 1964 | Indian hockey team | Hockey | Men's hockey | Gold |
| Mexico City 1968 | Indian hockey team | Hockey | Men's hockey | Bronze |
| Munich 1972 | Indian hockey team | Hockey | Men's hockey | Bronze |
| Moscow 1980 | Indian hockey team | Hockey | Men's hockey | Gold |
| Atlanta 1996 | Leander Paes | Tennis | Men's singles | Bronze |
| Sydney 2000 | Karnam Malleswari | Weightlifting | Women's 54kg | Bronze |
| Athens 2004 | Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore | Shooting | Men's double trap | Silver |
| Beijing 2008 | Abhinav Bindra | Shooting | Men's 10m air rifle | Gold |
| Beijing 2008 | Vijender Singh | Boxing | Men's middleweight | Bronze |
| Beijing 2008 | Sushil Kumar | Wrestling | Men's 66kg | Bronze |
| London 2012 | Sushil Kumar | Wrestling | Men's 66kg | Silver |
| London 2012 | Vijay Kumar | Shooting | Men's 25m rapid pistol | Silver |
| London 2012 | Saina Nehwal | Badminton | Women's singles | Bronze |
| London 2012 | Mary Kom | Boxing | Women's flyweight | Bronze |
| London 2012 | Yogeshwar Dutt | Wrestling | Men's 60kg | Bronze |
| London 2012 | Gagan Narang | Shooting | Men's 10m air rifle | Bronze |
| Rio 2016 | PV Sindhu | Badminton | Women's singles | Silver |
| Rio 2016 | Sakshi Malik | Wrestling | Women's 58kg | Bronze |
| Tokyo 2020 | Mirabai Chanu | Weightlifting | Women's 49kg | Silver |
| Tokyo 2020 | Lovlina Borgohain | Boxing | Women's welterweight | Bronze |
| Tokyo 2020 | PV Sindhu | Badminton | Women's singles | Bronze |
| Tokyo 2020 | Ravi Kumar Dahiya | Wrestling | Men's 57kg | Silver |
| Tokyo 2020 | Indian hockey team | Hockey | Men's hockey | Bronze |
| Tokyo 2020 | Bajrang Punia | Wrestling | Men's 65kg | Bronze |
| Tokyo 2020 | Neeraj Chopra | Athletics | Men's javelin throw | Gold |
As you can see, the Men’s Hockey Team had a great run for many years early on. In recent years, India has been succeeding more and more in wrestling, badminton, and shooting.
Over the years, there have been Indian athletes in many of the available Olympic categories and events, including equestrian, fencing, golf, gymnastics, Judo, rowing, swimming, and table tennis. Perhaps we will see even more medals being won and records being set in these categories by Indian athletes in the coming years!
Olympic Records Set by Indian Athletes
Setting a record is a great achievement, and Indian athletes have set many records while at the Olympics over the years! Here are all the Olympic records set by Indian athletes.
| Athlete | Record | Event | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avinash Sable | 8:18.12 | Men's 3000 m Steeplechase | 2020 Tokyo |
| Muhammed Anas Noah Nirmal Tom Arokia Rajiv Amoj Jacob | 3:00.25 | Men's 4 × 400 m Relay | 2020 Tokyo |
| P. T. Usha | 55.42 | Women's 400 m Hurdles | 1984 Los Angeles |
| Lalita Babar | 9:19.76 | Women's 3000 m Steeplechase | 2016 Rio de Janeiro |
| Rajwinder Kaur K. M. Beenamol Chitra K. Soman Manjit Kaur | 3:26.89 | Women's 4 × 400 m relay | 2004 Athens |
| Anju Bobby George | 6.83 m | Women's Long Jump | 2004 Athens |
Many records have also been set in non-Olympic events.
As you can see, Indian athletes are a force to be reckoned with!
Promising Athletes for 2024 Olympics So Far
As of writing this article (29 April 2024), there are 51 confirmed athletes for the Olympics. In recent years, India has been sending more than 100 athletes to the Olympics, so it’s likely there will be many other athletes confirmed before the cutoff date on 7 July!
Here are all the athletes who currently qualify to participate in the Olympics. Note that it’s still not confirmed which athletes will actually be attending the Games. Especially in the case of the 20km racewalk event, where currently 7 athletes are eligible for it, but only 3 may participate. India will need to decide which 3 end up going to Paris.
Additionally, some sources say that there have been some badminton players who have qualified for the Games and some sources don’t mention them, so it’s unclear about the status of badminton players.
| Name | Category | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Bhowneesh Mendiratta | Shooting | Men's trap |
| Rudrankksh Patil | Shooting | Men's 10m air rifle |
| Swapnil Kusale | Shooting | Men's 50m rifle 3 positions |
| Akhil Sheoran | Shooting | Men's 50m rifle 3 positions |
| Mehuli Ghosh | Shooting | Women's 10m air rifle |
| Sift Kaur Samra | Shooting | Women's 50m rifle 3 positions |
| Rajeshwari Kumari | Shooting | Women's trap |
| Akshdeep Singh | Athletics | Men's 20km race walk |
| Priyanka Goswami | Athletics | Women's 20km race walk |
| Vikas Singh | Athletics | Men's 20km race walk |
| Paramjeet Bisht | Athletics | Men's 20km race walk |
| Murali Sreeshankar | Athletics | Men's long jump |
| Avinash Sable | Athletics | Men's 3000m steeplechase |
| Neeraj Chopra | Athletics | Men's javelin throw |
| Parul Chaudhary | Athletics | Women's 3000m steeplechase |
| Antim Panghal | Wrestling | Women's 53kg |
| Nikhat Zareen | Boxing | Women's 50kg |
| Preeti Pawar | Boxing | Women's 54kg |
| Parveen Hooda | Boxing | Women's 57kg |
| Lovlina Borgohain | Boxing | Women's 75kg |
| Kishore Jena | Athletics | Men's javelin throw |
| Team India | Hockey | Men's hockey |
| Sarabjot Singh | Shooting | Men's 10m air pistol |
| Arjun Babuta | Shooting | Men's 10m air rifle |
| Tilottama Sen | Shooting | Women's 10m air rifle |
| Manu Bhaker | Shooting | Women's 25m pistol |
| Anish Bhanwala | Shooting | Men's 25m rapid fire pistol |
| Shriyanka Sadangi | Shooting | Women’s 50m rifle 3 positions |
| Dhiraj Bommadevara | Archery | Men's recurve |
| Varun Tomar | Shooting | Men's 10m air pistol |
| Esha Singh | Shooting | Women's 10m air pistol |
| Rhythm Sangwan | Shooting | Women's 25m pistol |
| Vijayveer Sidhu | Shooting | Men's 25m rapid fire pistol |
| Raiza Dhillon | Shooting | Women's skeet |
| Anantjeet Singh Naruka | Shooting | Men's skeet |
| Suraj Panwar | Athletics | Men's 20km race walk |
| Servin Sebastian | Athletics | Men's 20km race walk |
| Arshpreet Singh | Athletics | Men's 20km race walk |
| Vishnu Saravanan | Sailing | Men’s one person dinghy |
| Anush Agarwalla | Equestrian | Dressage |
| Indian men's team | Table tennis | Men's team and two in men's singles |
| Indian women's team | Table tennis | Women's team and two in women's singles |
| Ram Baboo | Athletics | Men's 20km race walk |
| Palak Gulia | Shooting | Women's 10m air pistol |
| Vinesh Phogat | Wrestling | Women's 50kg |
| Anshu Malik | Wrestling | Women's 57kg |
| Reetika Hooda | Wrestling | Women's 76kg |
| Balraj Panwar | Rowing | M1x |
| Priyanka Goswami/Akshdeep Singh | Athletics | Marathon race walk mixed relay |
| Nethra Kumanan | Sailing | Women’s one person dinghy |
| Maheshwari Chauhan | Shooting | Women's skeet |
It’s sure to be an exciting Olympic year in Paris as we see athletes from all over the world competing together! Let’s see what accomplishments India can secure this summer!
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