Olympics: Indian athletes who have won an individual medal

Some of the most iconic players have won the medal at the Olympic Games.

It is a dream for every upcoming sportsperson from India to represent the country at the biggest stage, i.e., the Olympics. Only a handful of athletes have gone on to realise this dream from a country that has a population of more than a billion. 

Winning an individual medal at the Olympic Games is not an easy task. One has to undergo a hectic qualification process and compete against the best of the best. Only the most prominent Indian athletes, who were at the top of their respective sport, managed to fly the Indian flag high at the Summer Olympics in different editions. 

The following list of Indians have won an individual Olympic medal. Here is a look at their incredible achievement, which is still used as a reference point by thousands of upcoming athletes, wishing to follow in their footsteps.

KD Jadhav

K.D. Jadhav was the first ever Indian athlete to win an individual Olympic medal. He did so way back in 1952 Helsinki Games. Jadhav won the bronze medal at the Summer Olympics in the sport of wrestling and is still used as an example by the coaches who nurture talents of tomorrow. 

Leander Paes

Tennis sensation Leander Paes was the second person ever to win an individual Olympic medal. The evergreen athlete was most prominently known for playing the sport of tennis professionally well into his 40s. Paes won the bronze in men’s singles at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. He termed the achievement as his biggest and most iconic from his career, especially because he played through a wrist injury at the tournament. 

Karnam Malleswari

Karnam Malleswari became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal ever. She did so by winning the bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Games in weightlifting. Thanks to her achievements, Malleswari earned national awards such as Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Padma Shri. She also won two World Championships gold medals prior to winning the bronze at the Olympics.

R S Rathore

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore became the first person to win an individual Olympic medal in the sport of shooting. The Indian athlete secured the silver medal at the 2004 Athens Games in the double trap event. This achievement brought a lot of fanfare and recognition to the sport of shooting. Moreover, Rathore’s silver medal was the starting point of India’s golden age in the sport of shooting at the international stage.

Abhinav Bindra

Abhinav Bindra also created history, perhaps the biggest one yet. He became the first-ever Indian athlete to secure an individual gold medal at the Summer Olympics. The shooting legend won the gold in the 10m air rifle event at the 2008 Beijing Games. Bindra’s feat brought even further recognition towards the sport of shooting, and as a result India has seen a spurt of several upcoming young talents in the sport. He still remains the sole Indian athlete to have won a gold medal at the Olympics. 

Sushil Kumar

Sushil Kumar was perhaps the first wrestler who earned nationwide acclaim for his performances on the international stage. The Delhi-born athlete secured a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Games in the 66kg freestyle event. Kumar went a step further in the next edition, i.e., the 2012 London Games, winning the silver medal in the 66kg freestyle event. He is the only Indian to win two individual Olympic medals as of yet. 

Vijender Singh

Alongside Abhinav Bindra and Sushil Kumar, there was another athlete who created history at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in China. Vijender Singh became the first-ever boxer to win an Olympic medal. He won the bronze medal in the middleweight category. The 35-year-old has now become a professional boxer and does not represent India at the international stage in amateur boxing. 

Vijay Kumar

Vijay Kumar is one of the many highly impressive shooters India has produced in the last decade. The Himachal-born athlete joined the Indian Army before earning a reputation in the sport of shooting. Kumar’s biggest achievement of his career came during the 2012 London Games. He secured a silver medal in the 25m rapid fire pistol event. He was one of the two silver medallists at the London Olympic Games. 

Mary Kom

Mary Kom is outrightly the most famous Indian female boxer. She has been widely acclaimed by the nation for her dedication and contribution to the sport, even after having kids. Mary Kom became the first-ever Indian female boxer to secure an Olympic medal. She did so by winning the bronze at the 2012 London Games, competing in the flyweight category. Mary Kom is also the only boxer (male or female) to win eight World Championship medals in boxing, including six golds. 

Saina Nehwal

Saina Nehwal created history at the London Games as well. She became the first-ever Indian badminton player to win an individual medal at the Olympics. The Hyderabad-born shuttler won the bronze medal by securing a semi-final berth by defeating after beating Dutch Yao Jie 21-15, 22-20 in straight games. This achievement led to an explosion in her popularity which was already quite enormous post the gold in the 2010 Commonwealth Games. 

Gagan Narang

Gagan Narang was one of the six athletes to secure a medal at the London Games. The shooter, who is famous for having a healthy rivalry with Abhinav Bindra, secured the bronze in the 10m air rifle event. This was India’s first medal at the 2012 Olympic Games and Narang’s first-ever medal at the multi-nation meet. 

Yogeshwar Dutt

Yogeshwar Dutt’s bronze medal was India’s last medal at the 2012 London Games and the second in wrestling. By doing so, he became the third wrestler to win an Olympic medal behind K.D. Jadhav and Sushil Kumar. To earn a place on the podium, he overcame North Korean Ri Jong-myong in the bronze medal bout in the 60kg freestyle category.

Sakshi Malik

The 2016 Rio Games were largely a disappointing turnout for the Indian contingent. The athletes returned with only two medals despite having sent the largest contingent ever. One of the two medals was won by wrestler Sakshi Malik. She won the bronze at the 58kg freestyle event. Sakshi became the first-ever Indian female wrestler to secure an individual medal at the Olympics. 

P.V. Sindhu

As mentioned, the 2016 Rio Games were forgetful in terms of overall performance. However, Indian female athletes saved some pride. Building on Sakshi Malik’s achievement, Indian badminton star P.V. Sindhu managed to bag a silver medal in the women’s singles category. She became the first-female badminton player to win a silver, going a step better than Nehwal who won a bronze in London. 

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