Who is the oldest Indian athlete to win a medal at Olympics?

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore is the oldest Indian to win an individual medal at the Summer Olympics.

Indian athletes have been increasing the medal tally at the Summer Olympics in recent years. During the 2004 Athens Olympics, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore became the oldest Indian athlete to win an individual medal at the Summer Games.

Rathore was 34 years, 6 months and 19 days old when he secured the silver medal in shotgun shooting double trap. In the process, he also clinched India’s first medal in shooting and first individual silver medal at the Summer Games.

India did not return empty-handed at the 2004 Athens Olympics due to Rathore’s success in shooting. He ensured that India secured a medal for the third consecutive time at the Summer Games. It was also his debut at the Summer Games.

The former army colonel was placed 15th in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in shotgun shooting double trap. He did not compete in the Olympics after 2008.

How did Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore train himself for the Olympics?

Rathore was in the army during the Kargil War in 1999. He always had a knack for sports and shifted his focus to shooting. He was awarded the best sportsman during his early days at the Indian Military Academy.

He started competing as a professional at the age of 28 and started winning gold medals in international competitions four years later. The expert marksman won the gold in 2002 Commonwealth Games and the Asian Clay Target Championships.

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Rathore entered the final of every event he participated from 2002 till the 2004 Athens Olympics. He proved himself to be a medal contender well before the Summer Games.

Few months prior to the Olympics, Rathore travelled to Italy to train under 1997 Brisbane World Cup champion Luca Marini and 1996 Atlanta Olympic gold medalist Russell Mark.

He started with a score of 135 out of 200 which was far from his best. Rathore was placed fifth in the finals. He eventually picked up his pace and scored 179 in the final which was just a point ahead of bronze medalist Wang Zheng of China.

Rathore has been nurturing young sporting talents since his retirement from shooting. He is currently a cabinet minister at the Industry & Commerce, Youth Affairs & Sports Department in the Government of Rajasthan.

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