Olympics: Decoding India's medal haul in wrestling
Athletes from different corners of the globe will be in action during the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will get underway on July 26. A total of 184 countries will participate in the tourney. Meanwhile, India would want to enhance their medal tally in wrestling, which currently reads seven. Let's decode the nation's medal haul in wrestling.
Seven medals in wrestling
Seven of India's Olympic medals have come in wrestling as the tally includes two silver and five bronze. Field hockey (12) is the only event in which the nation boasts more Olympic medals. KD Jadhav was the first Indian wrestler to win an Olympic medal. He won bronze way back in the 1952 Helsinki Games.
When Jadhav scripted history
The 1952 Games saw Jadhav become the first athlete to win an Olympic medal for Independent India. He won bronze in the men's bantamweight (57kg) freestyle event. The star wrestler made his Olympic debut at the London 1948 Games, where he finished in sixth place.
When Sushil Kumar ended the drought
India had to wait 56 years after Jadhav's bronze to win another Olympic medal in wrestling. The drought ended with Sushil Kumar's bronze in the 2008 Beijing Games. The wrestler fought in the 66kg category. Four years later, Sushil Kumar clinched a silver medal in the 2012 London Games. He hence became the first Indian to win two individual Olympic medals post independence.
Triumph for Yogeshwar Dutt and Sakshi Malik
The 2012 event also saw Yogeshwar Dutt win the bronze medal in the men's freestyle 60kg category. In the 2016 Rio Games, Sakshi Malik became the first female wrestler to win an Olympic medal for India. She clinched bronze in the women's freestyle 58kg category. Notably, Malik got a chance to feature in the tourney as Geeta Phogat got suspended.
Two medals in the 2020 event
Ravi Kumar Dahiya made India proud in the men's freestyle 57kg event in the 2020 Tokyo event. He clinched the silver medal after losing to two-time world champion Zaur Uguev in the final. The same competition saw Bajrang Punia attain the bronze medal in the men's freestyle 65kg category.
