Olympics: How many gold medals has India won?
The 33rd Summer Olympics edition will be underway on July 26 in Paris, the capital of France. Over 10,000 athletes will feature at the Paris Games for 19 days, which involves 329 events. India, which will field 113 athletes, is vying for its third individual gold medal at the Games. Have a look at India's gold medalists at the Olympics so far.
Abhinav Bindra: India's first-ever Olympic gold medalist
Over a century after first competing at the Olympics, India finally opened its gold medal account in Beijing 2008. Shooter Abhinav Bindra became India's first-ever individual gold medalist as he won the men's 10-meter air rifle event, securing a total of 700.5 points. Notably, Bindra became the first Indian to hold the World Shooting Championships and Olympic titles concurrently.
Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra scripted history at Tokyo Games
India's third and only other athletics medal at the Olympics came after as many as 121 years. Neeraj Chopra scripted history by securing a historic gold medal in men's javelin throw at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021). He brought home India's first-ever gold medal in athletics at the Olympics. Chopra also became India's second Olympics individual gold medalist after Bindra.
Eight gold medals in hockey
It is worth noting that India overall owns 10 Olympic gold medals, with individuals winning two of those. As many as eight gold medals have been won by the Indian men's hockey team. Interestingly, the Indian hockey contingent won six successive gold medals between 1928 and 1956 at the Olympics. The editions 1964 and 1980 saw India win two more gold medals in hockey.
India's first Olympic gold after independence
Interestingly, India as an independent nation won its first-ever Olympic gold medal in 1948. The Indian men's hockey team defeated Great Britain 4-0 in the final to secure a momentous gold medal. The final was tagged as the "Battle of Champions".
