The history of the Olympic Games for India started in 1900 with a lone athlete, Norman Pritchard. The country sent a single representative to this monumental event in Paris, but he performed admirably, securing two silver medals. The story repeats itself in 2024 with a new challenge for an entire Indian team of 117 contestants who have returned to the French capital to compete for the medals.
Throughout this long sports journey, the nation has gained ten gold medals. To put this in perspective, this places them higher in the ranks than Portugal, which has five golds or Egypt which has eight. Both countries also have a century-long history linked with the Olympics. In this article, we’ll remember all of India’s first-place finishes in the Games and pay respect to the heroes who won these competitions.
Men’s Field Hockey (8 Gold Medals)
Pre-Independence Hat-Trick
Contrary to popular belief, hockey didn’t originate in India and has never been a traditional game, the same as cricket. However, the latter became the most spectated sport by Indians, with a byproduct of multiple cricket betting apps compiled by the editors of the Telecom Asia Sport website into a comprehensive list for those who love making predictions on the winner. Field hockey, in turn, gave birth to legendary athletes like Dhyan Chand. His 14 out of 29 goals were crucial in bringing home the first gold medals from the Olympic Games in Amsterdam in 1928.
Later, India came back to defend the title, and the team was successful in two consecutive events, at the Los Angeles 1932 competition and the Berlin 1936 Olympics, making a full gold hat-trick and dominating the field hockey scene in the pre-independence era.
Independence Era: Another Hat-Trick and Two More Medals
The year after gaining Independence, India met the British team in the final at the London Games of 1948. The hosts were beaten 4-0, adding another gold medal to the bank. The next title wasn’t far off, as Helsinki 1952 became a lucky turf for the Indian team, who once again proved their superiority.
The Melbourne 1956 final was a big surprise, as it marked the first meeting between India and Pakistan at the Olympics, and right away at such a round of the tournament. For the reigning champions, anything but gold meant a tragedy, whereas Pakistan fans considered their team coming back with the silver as a national triumph. India overcame their opponent 1-0 in a tense game, and acquired another three gold medals in a row, but now as an independent country.
In the next Games, however, Pakistan ended India’s impressive run and triumphed in Rome in 1960. Four years later in Tokyo, in a reenactment of the Melbourne final, India took back the title when their squad won 1-0 again gaining their 7th gold in the country’s history. After that, the hockey team acquired one last Olympic gold at the 1980 tournament in Moscow where they overcame Spain 4-3 and brought the tally to 8 medals total.
Men’s 10m Air Rifle (1 Gold Medal)
Abhinav Bindra became a star overnight in 2008 when he ended an individual medal drought for India. In Beijing, he competed against reigning champion Qinan Zhu from China, who had set a world record four years prior. Until the very end, Bindra was level with the leader of the qualifying round Henri Häkkinen from Finland, who slipped on the last shot and scored only 9.7, while the Indian placed his shot in the near-perfect area of 10.8. This accuracy made India’s gold dreams come true, while Häkkinen was forced to settle for bronze, passing Qinan Zhu forward for his silver medal.
Men’s Javelin Throw (1 Gold Medal)
The nation had to wait for the next gold for a long 13 years until Neeraj Chopra appeared. The athlete won the javelin throw competition in the Tokyo Games 2021 and became the first Indian to achieve first place in track and field. Chopra stepped into the tournament as the qualification leader, although he wasn’t the favourite and had to compete with the world champion from Germany Johannes Vetter. The javelin throw contest, however, didn’t go according to Vetter’s plan, who finished in 9th place as a result. Chopra, on the other hand, started strong with an 87.03m throw and improved it to 87.58m on the second attempt. This result was enough to secure the first spot and, with it, the 10th and final gold medal for the nation to date.
What’s next for India?
With a rich history, the Indian sports scene continues to evolve and aims to add new achievements to the list, while fans cheer and ask for more. This progress is facilitated by various government programs, extraordinary talent and the unbreakable will of the athletes.
The next Olympics will be hosted by Los Angeles and will feature an exciting addition to the list of disciplines. After more than 125 years and having been played only once in the Games in 1900, cricket will return to the event. The most popular team sport in the country will be played in the Twenty20 format, and India will be a strong favourite for the gold.
Author: Farid Farhat (telecomasia.net)
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