Top 10 Indians with most appearances in Olympics

Published at :July 26, 2024 at 10:45 AM

Modified at :July 26, 2024 at 10:45 AM

These athletes have represented the country multiple times on the big stage.

The Olympics is considered the grandest sporting event. With over 200 nations participating and nearly 42 disciplines, it’s one of the most elite tournaments ever organized. The Olympics comes every once in four years so you need longevity in your career to make multiple appearances.

Most importantly you need to qualify for the mega event. Which as we all know is no easy task. Going up against so many top-level athletes to earn a qualifying spot requires tremendous skills and dedication. The selected few who do so, become Olympians. The stars on this list have done just that and more.

They hold the distinction of representing India at multiple Olympics. The player on this exclusive list has represented India more than thrice. So let’s find out their names and their achievements at the Games.

11`. Sania Mirza (4)

Indian tennis star Sania Mirza has played in four Olympics in her illustrious career. She played in Beijing in 2008, London in 2012, Rio in 2016 and most recently in Tokyo in 2020. Unfortunately, it was not to be in Tokyo as Sania crashed out in the 1st round of the women’s doubles. She and Ankita Raina lost to the twin Ukranian Kichenok sisters. In spite of winning the first set 6-0.

The match ended with a 6-0, 6-7 (10)-(8) scoreline. To date, her most successful exploit at the Olympics still stands in Rio. This time in mixed doubles where the Hyderabadi teamed up with Rohan Bopanna and reached the semi-finals. In the bronze medal match, however, they lost to the Czech pair of Radek Stepanek and Lucie Hradecka in straight sets (6-1, 7-5).

10. Seema Punia (4)

Veteran discus thrower Seema Punia is next on this list. Seema is an Asian Games gold medalist. On top of that, she is a multi-time Commonwealth Games silver medalist as well. Seema too like Sania is a four-time Olympian. She participated in the 2004, 2012,2016 and 2020 Olympics respectively.

A recurring knee injury kept her out of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Her best performance out of all was in London in 2012. Punia threw a distance of 61.91 m and finished in 13th place.

9. PT Usha (4)

India’s legendary track and field athlete. If India had a Milkha Singh in the men’s athletics the women had PT Usha. One of the pioneers of women’s athletics she became a household name after the 1984 US Olympics. Usha finished 4th in the 4x400m hurdles missing out on bronze by a whisker. She got a timing of 55.42 and set an Asian record in the process.

Usha’s incredible milestone was considered one of India’s best performances in track and field. That was however till Neeraj Chopra came along. The Payyoli Express was a bonafide star in her own right. Usha’s career is decorated with gold medals in Asian Championships and Asian Games.

In spite of that, her 4th place finish in Los Angeles is still discussed. Something she shares in common with the late great Milkha.

8. Gagan Narang (4)

Indian shooter Gagan Narang has been a regular at the Olympics from 2004-2016. The air rifle shooter has competed in the 10m, 50m and 50m three position disciplines. Out of all his exploits, his performance at the 2012 London Olympics brought him the coveted medal. Gagan won bronze in the 10m air rifle category.

Gagan’s other notable Olympics performances include a 9th place finish in Beijing in 2008 and a 12th position standing at Athens in 2004. Apart from that Narang is a multi-time gold medalist at the Commonwealth Games.

7. Dhanraj Pillay (4)

Hockey legend Dhanraj Pillay is another great multi-time Olympian. The forward has been part of some memorable moments throughout his career. His 15-year-long career saw him dominate the sport like no other. His appearance in 339 matches saw him score about 170 goals.

Pillay is the only player to have participated in four Olympics, four World Cups, four Champions Trophies and four Asian Games. In fact, India won the Asian Games (1998) and Asia Cup (2003) under his captaincy.

6. Leslie Walter Claudius and Udham Singh (4)

Both Leslie Walter Claudius and Udham Singh represented India during its golden period. As such, they won multiple Olympic medals during their time. It was the period of India’s monopoly on hockey turf.

Leslie Claudius won gold medals in 1948, 1952, and 1956, He won a silver in 1960 as the captain of the team. On the other hand, Udham Singh clinched gold medals in 1952 and 1956 as well along with a silver medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics. He added another gold in 1964 at the Tokyo Olympics.

5. Achanta Sharath Kamal (5)

India’s table tennis legend, will be competing in his fifth Olympic Games at Paris 2024. His Olympic journey began at Athens 2004, followed by appearances in Beijing 2008, London 2012, and Tokyo 2020. Over the years, Sharath has been a pivotal figure in Indian table tennis, achieving numerous international accolades.

4. Abhinav Bindra (5)

Abhinav Bindra might have hung his rifle but his shooting legacy will always live on. Bindra was the first individual Olympic gold medalist. He scored a total of 700.5 points to win gold in the 10m air rifle event in Beijing.

Even in 2016, he came close to winning his second one in Rio. However, he had to contend with a 4th-position finish with 163.8 points. The Dehradun native has always been a consistent performer on the grandest stage. His autobiography, A Shot at History: My Obsessive Journey to Olympic gold vividly describes his path to gold and the hurdles he faced along the way.

3. Randhir Singh (5)

Current sports administrator Randhir Singh is a five-time Olympian. Singh was the second Indian to achieve this landmark moment. Randhir participated in five Olympics from 1968-1984. With his best coming in in 1968 in Mexico City. He scored 4 points less than the bronze winner that year.

Singh also competed in four Asian Games and won medals of every colour. Born to a royal family Singh was also the first Indian to win continental gold at the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand.

2. Karni Singh (5)

Karni Singh was the last Maharaja of Bikaner state who held the title officially. Apart from that, he was also a Second World War veteran who served in the Middle East. In addition, he was also a pilot. So he was basically a man of many trades. However, we are solely going to focus on his shooting career.

Singh represented India in five Olympic tournaments ( 1960-1972, 1980). He was also the first Indian to do so. Maharaja Karni Singh finished eighth at the 1960 Rome Olympics and 10th at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. He was quite a savant of the Clay Pigeon Trap and Skeet events.

1. Leander Paes (7)

Leander Paes is the only tennis player in the world to make seven consecutive Olympic Games (1992-2016) appearances. Consequently, he is also the first Indian to win an Olympic medal in tennis. He won a bronze in 1996 Atlanta after defeating Fernando Meligani of Brazil (3-6,6-2, 6-4).

The former World No. 1 in doubles has always been a champion on the court. Winner of multiple doubles and mixed doubles titles Leander officially announced his retirement from the sport in 2020. The Kolkata boy wanted to represent his country one last time in Tokyo as well.

Unfortunately, it was not to be because of the rescheduling due to Covid.

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