Rio Olympics 2016 India, Medal Tally: Indian Gold, Silver & Bronze Medal Winners at the Olympic games

Norman Pritchard was the first Indian-born athlete to participate at the Olympics back in 1900, and also the first one to win a medal for India. In 1900 Paris Olympics, he won the men’s 200 metres and the men’s 200-metre hurdle category. India did not participate in the next three Olympics but won its first gold medal in 1928 in the field hockey category.

The golden era of Indian Hockey saw the nation win six consecutive Gold medals in field hockey from 1928 to 1952. It was also in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics that Khasaba Dadasaheb Jadhav held the tri-colour high and won the bronze medal in weightlifting. The last medal India won in the field Hockey category was at the 1980 Munich Olympics.

The 1996 Olympics saw a young Tennis sensation (Leander Paes) from Kolkata (then Calcutta) display a phenomenal performance in a sport that India was not expecting to flourish at the Games. The first Olympics games in the 21st-century was held in Sydney and India managed to grab only a single bronze medal. But it was a significant one as it was the first woman from India to stand in the podium when Karnam Malleswari won a Bronze medal in the women’s 69 Kg Weightlifting event.

The Olympics made a comeback to its birthplace Athens in 2004 after 108 years. Indian shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won the silver medal in double trap category. An individual Gold medal was lacking in India’ medals tally, shooter Abhinav Bindra’s brilliance during the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the Men’s 10-metre air rifle category won him a Gold medal and ended India’s long wait.

Apart from Bindra’s glory, Boxer Vijender Singh and wrestler Sushil Kumar won Bronze medals in their respective categories.

London Olympics in 2012 witnessed the most successful performance of the Indians in the games where it won 6 medals across 4 disciplines. Sushil Kumar bettered his performance from the last meet and won a silver medal along with shooter Vijay Kumar.

Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal won the bronze medal, while Boxing sensation Mary Kom and shooter Gagan Narang also secured the third position in their respective categories. Yogeshwar Dutt wrestled his way to an Olympic Bronze medal triumph.

With the Rio Olympics to get underway, India has high hopes in Brazil. This is going to be India’s largest contingent at the Games featuring 120 athletes. Veteran shooter Abhinav Bindra held the flag high in the opening ceremony, and will be looking forward to perform well at the Rio Olympics 2016.

Young Dipa Karmakar created history on being the first Indian gymnast to feature at the Olympic Games.

India’s Medal Tally at the Rio Olympic Games:

PlayerDisciplineGoldSilverBronze

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Edited by Staff Editor