A Glorious Journey: History of India at the Olympics

India has a rich and storied history at the Olympic Games. The nation first participated in the Olympics in 1900, with Norman Pritchard winning two silver medals in athletics. After a long hiatus, India sent a team to the 1920 Antwerp Games and has participated in every Summer Olympic Games since then.

One of India’s most significant achievements came in field hockey. From 1928 to 1956, the Indian men’s hockey team won six consecutive gold medals, establishing a dominant legacy in the sport. This period is often referred to as the “Golden Era” of Indian hockey. Legendary players like Dhyan Chand became global icons, contributing to India’s illustrious history in the sport.

In the following decades, India’s Olympic performance witnessed various ups and downs. The nation continued to excel in field hockey, winning more medals, including golds in 1964 and 1980. However, success in other sports was relatively limited until recent times.

The turn of the 21st century marked a new chapter in India’s Olympic journey. The 2000 Sydney Olympics saw Karnam Malleswari become the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal with her bronze in weightlifting. This achievement was a significant milestone, inspiring many young athletes across the country.

The 2008 Beijing Olympics was another breakthrough moment for India, with shooter Abhinav Bindra winning the country’s first-ever individual gold medal in the men’s 10m air rifle event. Wrestler Sushil Kumar and boxer Vijender Singh added to the medal tally with bronze medals in their respective events.

The 2012 London Olympics was India’s most successful outing, with a total of six medals: two silver and four bronze. Notable performances included Sushil Kumar (wrestling), Vijay Kumar (shooting), Mary Kom (boxing), Gagan Narang (shooting), Saina Nehwal (badminton), and Yogeshwar Dutt (wrestling).

In the 2016 Rio Olympics, PV Sindhu (badminton) and Sakshi Malik (wrestling) won silver and bronze, respectively, highlighting the growing prominence of Indian women in sports.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021 due to the pandemic, was a historic event for India. Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal in men’s javelin throw, making him the first Indian to win an Olympic gold in athletics. Additionally, India secured a total of seven medals, including Mirabai Chanu’s silver in weightlifting and the bronze won by the men’s hockey team after a 41-year hiatus.

Indian Athletes Qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics

Athletics

• Neeraj Chopra – Men’s Javelin Throw (Haryana)
• Parul Chaudhary – Women’s 3000m Steeplechase (Uttar Pradesh)
• Priyanka Goswami – Women’s 20km Race Walk (Uttar Pradesh)
• Vikas Singh – Men’s 20km Race Walk (Uttar Pradesh)
• Avinash Sable – Men’s 3000m Steeplechase (Maharashtra)
• Ankita Dhyani – Women’s 5000m (Uttarakhand)
• Paramjeet Bisht – Men’s 20km Race Walk (Uttarakhand)
• Kishore Jena – Men’s Javelin Throw (Odisha)
• Akshdeep Singh – Men’s 20km Race Walk (Punjab)
• Praveel Chithravel – Men’s Triple Jump (Tamil Nadu)
• Abdulla Aboobacker – Men’s Triple Jump (Kerala)
• Jeswin Aldrin – Men’s Long Jump (Tamil Nadu)
• Kiran Pahal – Women’s 400m (Haryana)
• Jyothi Yarraji – Women’s 100m Hurdles (Andhra Pradesh)
• Abha Khatua – Women’s Shot Put (West Bengal)
• Sarvesh Kushare – Men’s High Jump (Maharashtra)
• Annu Rani – Women’s Javelin Throw (Uttar Pradesh)
• Tajinderpal Singh Toor – Men’s Shot Put (Punjab)
• Ram Baboo – Men’s 20km Race Walk (Uttar Pradesh)
• Vithya Ramraj, Jyothika Sri Dandi, MR Poovamma, Subha Venkatesan – Women’s 4x400m Relay (Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu)
• Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Muhammed Ajmal, Amoj Jacob, Santhosh Tamilarasan, Rajesh Ramesh – Men’s 4x400m Relay (Kerala, Kerala, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Tamil Nadu)

Shooting

• Prithviraj Tondaiman – Men’s Trap (Tamil Nadu)
• Sandeep Singh – Men’s 10m Air Rifle, 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team (Haryana)
• Swapnil Kusale – Men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions (Maharashtra)
• Ramita Jindal – Women’s 10m Air Rifle, 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team (Haryana)
• Anjum Moudgil – Women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions (Chandigarh)
• Sift Kaur Samra – Women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions (Punjab)
• Rajeshwari Kumari – Women’s Trap (Punjab)
• Elavenil Valarivan – Women’s 10m Air Rifle, 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team (Gujarat)
• Sarabjot Singh – Men’s 10m Air Pistol (Haryana)
• Arjun Babuta – Men’s 10m Air Rifle (Punjab)
• Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar – Men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions (Madhya Pradesh)
• Manu Bhaker – Women’s 25m Pistol (Haryana)
• Anish Bhanwala – Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol (Haryana)
• Arjun Cheema – Men’s 10m Air Pistol, 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team (Punjab)
• Esha Singh – Women’s 25m Pistol (Telangana)
• Rhythm Sangwan – Women’s 10m Air Pistol (Haryana)
• Vijayveer Sidhu – Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol (Punjab)
• Raiza Dhillon – Women’s Skeet (Punjab)
• Anantjeet Singh Naruka – Men’s Skeet, Skeet Mixed Team (Rajasthan)
• Maheshwari Chauhan – Women’s Skeet, Skeet Mixed Team (Rajasthan)
• Shreyasi Singh – Women’s Trap (Bihar)

Boxing

• Nikhat Zareen – Women’s 50kg (Telangana)
• Preeti Pawar – Women’s 54kg (Haryana)
• Lovlina Borgohain – Women’s 75kg (Assam)
• Jaismine Lamboria – Women’s 57kg (Haryana)
• Amit Panghal – Men’s 51kg (Haryana)
• Nishant Dev – Men’s 71kg (Haryana)

Wrestling

• Anshu Malik – Women’s 57kg (Haryana)
• Antim Panghal – Women’s 53kg (Haryana)
• Reetika Hooda – Women’s 76kg (Haryana)
• Nisha Dahiya – Women’s 68kg (Haryana)
• Vinesh Phogat – Women’s 50kg (Haryana)
• Aman Sehrawat – Men’s Freestyle 57kg (Haryana)

Archery

• Dhiraj Bommadevara – Men’s Recurve (Andhra Pradesh)
• Ankita Bhakat – Women’s Individual, Women’s Team (West Bengal)
• Deepika Kumari – Women’s Individual, Women’s Team (Jharkhand)
• Pravin Jadhav – Men’s Individual, Men’s Team (Maharashtra)
• Tarundeep Rai – Men’s Individual, Men’s Team (Sikkim)
• Bhajan Kaur – Women’s Individual, Women’s Team (Punjab)

Other Sports

• PV Sindhu – Badminton, Women’s Singles (Telangana)
• HS Prannoy – Badminton, Men’s Singles (Kerala)
• Lakshya Sen – Badminton, Men’s Singles (Uttarakhand)
• Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty – Badminton, Men’s Doubles (Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra)
• Ashwini Ponnappa/Tanisha Crasto – Badminton, Women’s Doubles (Karnataka, Goa)
• Rohan Bopanna/N Sriram Balaji – Tennis, Men’s Doubles (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu)
• Sumit Nagal – Tennis, Men’s Singles (Haryana)
• Aditi Ashok – Golf, Women’s (Karnataka)
• Diksha Dagar – Golf, Women’s (Haryana)
• Gaganjeet Bhullar – Golf, Men’s (Punjab)
• Shubhankar Sharma – Golf, Men’s (Haryana)
• Tulika Maan – Judo, Women’s +78kg (Delhi)
• Mirabai Chanu – Weightlifting, Women’s 49kg (Manipur)
• Vishnu Saravanan – Sailing, Men’s One Person Dinghy (Tamil Nadu)
• Nethra Kumanan – Sailing, Women’s One Person Dinghy (Tamil Nadu)
• Balraj Panwar – Rowing, Men’s Single Sculls (Haryana)
• Srihari Nataraj – Swimming, Men’s 100m Backstroke (Karnataka)
• Dhinidhi Desinghu – Swimming, Women’s 200m Freestyle (Karnataka)
• Anush Agarwalla – Equestrian, Dressage (Jharkhand)

Team Sports

• Men’s Hockey Team
• Women’s Hockey Team (expected to qualify)
• Men’s and Women’s Table Tennis Teams

These athletes have either met the qualifying standards or secured quota places for their respective events.

State Representation at the 2024 Paris Olympics

• Andhra Pradesh: 4
• Assam: 1
• Bihar: 1
• Chandigarh: 1
• Delhi: 1
• Goa: 1
• Gujarat: 1
• Haryana: 20
• Jharkhand: 2
• Kerala: 4
• Karnataka: 5
• Maharashtra: 6
• Manipur: 1
• Madhya Pradesh: 1
• Odisha: 1
• Punjab: 10
• Rajasthan: 2
• Sikkim: 1
• Tamil Nadu: 11
• Telangana: 3
• Uttarakhand: 2
• Uttar Pradesh: 7

Conclusion

The journey of Indian athletes at the Olympics reflects a remarkable evolution from the early days of limited participation to the current era of diverse representation across multiple sports. The 2024 Paris Olympics promises to be another significant milestone, with a strong contingent of athletes from various states showcasing India’s growing prowess in global sports. The nation eagerly anticipates their performances, hoping to add new chapters of success to its rich Olympic history.

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