The 2024 Paris Olympics was a mix of victories and setbacks, highlighting both India’s progress and challenges in its pursuit of sporting excellence.
A total of 117 Indian athletes participated in the 2024 Paris Olympics, which was held from July 26 to August 11. Despite great efforts and dedication, India won a total of six medals, one silver and five bronze medals, writing a new chapter in Olympic history.
Shooting that shines with historic achievements
Manu Baker made history by winning bronze in the 10m air pistol individual event, becoming the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in shooting.
She continued her exceptional performance by winning a bronze medal in the mixed team 10m air pistol event with Sarabjyot Singh, becoming the first Indian to win two medals in one Olympics. Swapnil Kusale won another bronze medal in shooting, taking India’s tally of bronze medals in this sport to three, the country’s all-time record at a single Olympic Games.
🚨 Manu Baker wins India’s first medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. ✨
Bronze 🥉 pic.twitter.com/Lkru5o6DIt
— Indian Technology and Infrastructure (@IndianTechGuide) July 28, 2024
Hockey and athletics meet expectations
The Indian men’s hockey team won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, matching their success at Tokyo 2020 and demonstrating their stability on the world stage. Meanwhile, Neeraj Chopra won a silver medal in the javelin throw, cementing his status as India’s most successful individual Olympian.
young star of professional wrestling
Aman Sehrawat won a bronze medal in wrestling, highlighting the promise of India’s next generation of athletes and becoming India’s youngest Olympic medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Regrettable mistakes and challenges
Despite these successes, the Paris 2024 Olympics also saw some near misses. Indian athletes narrowly missed out on six medal hopefuls with Lakshya Sen, Mirabai Chanu and Manu Bhaker finishing fourth. Baker had a close call and was unable to win his third medal of the tournament. Moreover, Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification in the historic final added to India’s sadness.
India’s participation and notable players
Indian athletes won 69 medals in 16 sports including archery, track and field, badminton, boxing, etc. Notable participants included Olympic medalists such as Neeraj Chopra, PV Sindhu, Mirabai Chanu and Lovlina Borgohain, as well as members of the men’s hockey team led by Harmanpreet Singh.
Neeraj Chopra wins silver medal for India at Paris Olympics. Congratulations, India! 🇮🇳 #NeerajChopra pic.twitter.com/OPYMqNee4z
— Prayag (@theprayagtiwari) August 8, 2024
India’s Olympic Heritage
India’s total Olympic medal count currently stands at 41. The journey began in 1900 with Norman Pritchard’s two silver medals in track and field. KD Jadhav won the wrestling bronze medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, becoming independent India’s first individual medalist. Karnam Malleswari became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in Sydney in 2000.
Abhinav Bindra achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first Indian to win an individual gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games. Neeraj Chopra also followed in his footsteps by winning the javelin throw gold medal at Tokyo 2020. Men’s hockey remains India’s most successful Olympic sport, contributing 13 medals, including eight. He won a gold medal and eight medals in wrestling.
India’s best ever Olympic performance remains at the 2020 Tokyo Games, where they brought home seven medals, including one gold. The 2024 Paris Olympics was a mix of victories and setbacks, highlighting both India’s progress and challenges in its pursuit of sporting excellence.
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