India has a special connection with the Paris Olympics, going all the way back to the year 1900 when the nation bagged the first-ever medal to her name. These medals were won by Norman Pritchard, a British-Indian athlete – and actor – who became the first Asian-born athlete to win an Olympic medal when he won two silver medals in athletics at the 1900 Paris Olympics representing India. Even under the British Raj, the Indian Olympic team, competed separately from the British Olympic team.
Post-Independence The Indian field hockey team won a gold medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics, and wrestler K. D. Jadhav won the first individual medal for independent India at Helsinki Olympics 1952. An interesting fact – and a point of national pride – about the Indian field hockey team is that by defeating Pakistan in the final of the 1956 Summer Olympics, the team inked a streak of six consecutive title wins. The six straight title wins by the Indian team was an Olympic record at that time in a team event.
This year a total of 117 Indian athletes, including five reserves, will take part in a total of 69 medal events across 16 sports – archery, athletics, badminton, boxing, equestrian, golf, hockey, judo, rowing, sailing, shooting, swimming, table tennis and tennis – at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
India saw its best-ever haul at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and won a total of seven medals, including one gold; and the country is eagerly looking forward to continuing and growing this momentum at Paris 2024.
Neeraj Chopra, who created history at Tokyo 2020 by winning gold in men’s javelin throw, is a part of the 29-member Indian athletics contingent to France and will look to contribute to India’s Paris 2024 Olympics medal tally.
Medalists like badminton player PV Sindhu, weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, boxer Lovlina Borgohain and select members of the Harmanpreet Singh-led Indian men’s hockey team will be returning to the Olympic games as well.
Rising sportspersons like Avinash Sable, Antim Panghal, Rohan Bopanna, Chirag Shetty-Satwiksairak Rankireddy, Vinesh Phogat and Aman Sehrawat have also fuelled the country’s hopes of winning glory at the event.
India’s medal tally has already opened at Paris 2024 with a bronze medal – won by Manu Bhaker. Her bronze win has made history as the first Indian woman to win an Olympic shooting medal.
