Dissecting India's medal tally at the Olympics
The much-awaited 2024 Paris Olympics is set to get underway on July 26 with an opening ceremony. Athletes from different corners of the globe will compete across 32 sports for a total of 329 gold medals. A total of 184 countries will participate in the upcoming tourney. Many eyes will be on the Indian contingent as well. Let's decode India's medal count at Olympics.
35 medals for India
Notably, India first participated in the Olympic Games in 1900, with a lone athlete Norman Pritchard, who won two medals. The nation first sent a team to the Olympic Games in 1920. As per Olympics.com, India have tallied 35 medals, all at the Summer Olympics. While 10 of India's medals are gold, the nation has also secured nine silver and 16 bronze medals.
India dominated the proceedings in hockey
Eight of India's 10 gold medals have come for hockey. The tally also includes one silver and three bronze medals. Meanwhile, the nation has one gold apiece in shooting and athletics. The Indian athletes have secured seven wrestling medals (2 silver, 5 bronze). While the shooters have clinched four medals, three medals have been recorded apiece in wrestling, boxing, and athletics.
Key moments from India's run at Olympics
India's first Olympic medal came in 1900 as Pritchard secured silver medals - in the 200m sprint and 200m hurdles. In 1928, the men's hockey team scored 29 goals and conceded none as India won their first Olympic gold medal. In 1952, wrestler KD Jadhav became the athlete to win an Olympic medal for Independent India, a bronze.
Feats for Bindra and Chopra
Shooter Abhinav Bindra is the first Indian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympics. He had won gold in the 10m air rifle event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In 2021, Neeraj Chopra became the second Indian to achieve the milestone. The ace javelin thrower clinched gold in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. As mentioned, India's other eight golds have come in hockey.
