India first participated in the Olympics in 1900. Norman Pritchard was the country’s only athlete who won two silver medals. The national team has significantly increased over the years. In 2024, the country sent 117 athletes to compete in 16 sports disciplines. Indian fans had a great opportunity to go to GGBet for betting on their national team stats. Despite some highs and lows along the way, the country has left a significant mark on Olympic history. Let’s see the best results of Indian athletes along the way.
Three Gold Medals in Field Hockey
The Indian field hockey team made its debut at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam. They managed to defeat the hosts in the final match, winning the country’s first gold medal. The success wouldn’t be possible without Dhyan Chand, the top scorer. His extraordinary dribbling skills helped him score 14 goals in five matches. Specialists described his performance as “pure magic”.
The gold medal wasn’t a one-time success. The national field hockey team won two more gold medals in 1932 and 1936. Chand alone recorded 33 goals in 12 matches, which made him a top scorer.
Historic Bronze in Tennis
Tennis was never a popular kind of sport in India. Leander Paes changed the situation once and for all. He won the country’s first individual medal in 44 years and the first bronze at the Olympics. Paes had a huge responsibility on his shoulders, with 1.4 billion people waiting for his victory. He eventually brought the only medal for India at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The local fans highly acknowledged his achievement.
Leander Paes was ranked 126th in the world. No wonder the audience didn’t have many expectations from his performance. Before the final clash, his wrist was placed in a hard cast after rupturing small tendons in his wrist. Not only did he overcome the injury, but he also brought a critical result for his country.
Weightlifting Pioneer
Karnam Malleswari started a new trend by winning bronze in weightlifting at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. She became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal. Her historic achievement became a great source of motivation for young female athletes. She raised the problem of gender inequality in sports, proving that women can also be excellent weightlifters. Since then, the number of female weightlifters has increased over the years.
First Success in Athletics
Neeraj Chopra made history at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He won the country’s first gold medal in the javelin throw. His result of 87.86m surpassed the Olympic qualifying standard of 85m. Chopra wasn’t even considered for the pedestal. He delivered an excellent result after the failed qualification at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Chopra’s success sparked a new interest in athletics across the country.
First Medal in Boxing
Vijender Singh's bronze was India's first medal in boxing at the Beijing Games in 2008. He made the boxing world talk about him by defeating Bakhtiyar Artayev, the former champion. Singh became a serious candidate for winning the country’s first medal in boxing. He eventually reached the final battle, where he defeated Carlos Gongora from Ecuador. Singh had to demonstrate his offensive and defensive skills. The opponent came with multiple punches in the last second, but he failed to close the gap. Judges announced the winner based on points. Thus, Singh became the first boxer from India to win an Olympic medal.
Redefining Indian Badminton
- V. Singhu became the first female athlete from India to win two Olympic medals. She claimed the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. In the final game, she lost to the top-rated player, Carolina Marin. Her silver medal felt like gold due to the earlier absence of medals in the badminton discipline. Singhu won a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. On the way to the medal, she came over the top players. Sindhu’s success motivated young Indian girls to play badminton.