India may be faltering at the Olympic Games in Rio 2016, but the country and its athletes have doubtless made their mark on the sport over history. India’s male and female athletes have shown moments of brilliance on court, winning laurels for the country in sports that had been all but ignored before.
Here, we look at five moments that truly transformed sport in the country.
Rajyavardhan Rathore wins silver, Athens 2004
Armyman Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore remains one of the country’s premier names in shooting. There have been a number of talented shooters since, with the country gunning for glory at the sport at the Olympic level ever since.
It could be argued that Rathore was the originator of that trend and the country’s first big shooter.
In 2004, Rathore took India’s only medal at the Athens Olympic Games, winning silver in the men’s double trap shooting event. That win marked two key moments. One, Rathore was the only medallist for India at the entire Olympic games, and second, he won India’s first ever individual silver Olympic medal.
Karnam Malleswari wins bronze, Sydney 2000
In a time when weightlifting had just gained resurgence in the country, Karnam Malleswari was one of its only female names. The multiple world title winner took part in the Olympic Games of 2000 in Sydney, Australia and with her bronze medal win there took India’s first ever individual Olympic medal.
Not only did Malleswari break a barrier for Indian women in terms of sporting in a discipline largely considered male-dominated, she made history for India in the process.
Abhinav Bindra wins gold, Beijing 2008
Sharpshooter Abhinav Bindra just played his last Olympic Games at Rio 2016, 8 years after his first Olympic glory, only narrowly missing out on a podium spot. At Beijing in 2008, Bindra, participating in the men’s 10m air rifle, won top honours.
It was the first time that an Indian had won individual gold at the Olympic Games, a feat Bindra accomplished in a field of difficult competitors.
MC Mary Kom wins bronze, London 2012
Born to farmer parents, MC Mary Kom and her family struggled to make ends meet, but the powerful Mary began winning laurels early on, and consistently won titles at the World Amateur Boxing Championships in the lead up to the Olympic Games.
At London 2012, Mary faced a number of performers ranked higher than herself, ending up with a bronze medal in the women’s flyweight category.
Saina Nehwal wins bronze, London 2012
India's former World No.1 badminton player Saina Nehwal is regarded as one of the country’s premier sporting talents, and in 2012 played out of her skin to progress to the latest stages of the Olympics. Rival Wang Xin of China withdrew in the pair's bronze medal match, giving Nehwal the third prize at the London 2012 Olympics.
It made her the first Indian shuttler to win an Olympic medal.
Dipa Karmakar qualifies for Rio – and makes the final!
Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar has excelled at a sport that has barely received attention in India. Born with flat feet, Karmakar had to overcome physical hurdles within her training before being able to reach the levels she has.
Encouraged by her father and coach Biseshwar Nandi, Karmakar practised day and night, first putting her skills on display at the global level at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, where she won bronze.
Earlier this year, Karmakar became the first ever female gymnast to qualify for the Olympics, and the first Indian gymnast to participate at the games in over half a century.
Not only has Karmakar qualified, she has managed to go through to the finals of the vault, her pet event. She is one of only 5 women in the world to have landed the Produnova vault, a vault so dangerous it is called the ‘Death Vault’.
She will be in the finals of the event tomorrow.
Vijender Singh wins bronze, Beijing 2008
Then an amateur boxer, Vijender Singh competed in the Athens Olympics in 2004, and although he suffered an early loss there, said he had found the experience valuable. Practicing heavily in the run-up to Beijing 2008, Vijender was part of several intense Olympic camps designed to take boxers through their paces.
Those camps clearly helped, as Vijender won the bronze at Beijing 2008 – marking the first ever Olympic medal for an Indian boxer. It could be argued that Vijender paved the way for Indian boxing in the modern day.
He has since turned pro, taking wins over a handful of strong professional boxers in his bouts, and divides his time between the United Kingdom and India.
Sushil Kumar wins bronze, Beijing 2008
Indian wrestler Sushil Kumar isn’t just a one-time Olympic medal winner – he has two! The Delhi native, the son of a bus driver, Sushil overcame serious poverty and a lack of training facilities.
He made his mark on the wrestling world at the Asian Games and Championships early on, winning medals with regularity.
At the 2008 Olympics, after crashing out in the freestyle wrestling, he came back with a bang in the repechage, successfully winning his bronze medal match against Kazakh wrestler Leonid Spiridonov – without a masseuse during his Olympic run.
A consistent performer early on, Sushil Kumar kept his form over the years through Commonwealth Games and the World Wrestling Championships, and at London 2012 went one better – winning silver this time.
He is the only Indian sportsperson to win two individual Olympic medals.
