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Full list of Indian medal winners at Summer Olympics

Published at :August 9, 2024 at 11:38 PM
Modified at :August 9, 2024 at 11:39 PM
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Ajay Gandhar

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

India’s Olympic story is one of both success and challenge. Despite its large population, only a small number of Indian athletes have competed at the Olympics. Winning an individual medal is a big task. Athletes must pass tough qualifying events and face the best competitors from around the world.

Over time, a few Indian athletes have managed to win individual Olympic medals. These victories have become targets for younger athletes to aspire to. The medals have come from various sports across different Olympic Games.

The group of Indian Olympic medalists represents the best in Indian sports. Their achievements have not only brought honor to India but also helped increase focus and funding for sports in the country. By looking at these winners, we can see how India has progressed in the Olympics and how these athletes have influenced sports in India.

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.

Also Read: Total medals won by India in every edition of Olympics

Also Read: Total medals won by India in each sport at the Olympics

Know India’s medal winners at Summer Olympics

Norman Pritchard (2)

Silver x2: 1900

Norman Pritchard was the first pre-independence Indian and Asian athlete to win an Olympic medal, securing two silver medals at the 1900 Paris Olympics. He finished second in 200m and 200m hurdles, behind American athletes Walter Tewksbury and Alvin Kraenzlein, respectively.

Pritchard also reached the 110m hurdles final but did not finish and participated in the 60m and 100m sprints, failing to qualify for the finals.

KD Jadhav (1)

Bronze: 1952

K.D. Jadhav was the first-ever Indian athlete in independent India 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 (1)

Bronze: 1996

Tennis sensation Leander Paes was only the second Indian 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. 

Also Read: Leander Paes: Top five achievements of the tennis star’s career

Karnam Malleswari (1)

Bronze: 2000

Karnam Malleswari became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal. 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.

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (1)

Silver: 2004

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore became the first Indian athlete to win an individual Olympic medal in the sport of shooting. The Indian athlete secured a 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.

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Abhinav Bindra (1)

Gold: 2008

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 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 (2)

  • Bronze: 2008
  • Silver: 2012

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 then 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 in wrestling.

Vijender Singh (1)

Bronze: 2008

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.

Also Read: Vijender Singh: Top five achievements of the Indian boxer

Vijay Kumar (1)

Silver: 2012

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 (1)

Bronze: 2012

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.

Also Read: Top five achievements of legendary Indian boxer Mary Kom

Saina Nehwal (1)

Bronze: 2012

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 after beating Dutch shuttler 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. 

Also Read: Badminton: Top five achievements of Saina Nehwal

Gagan Narang (1)

Bronze: 2012

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 (1)

Bronze: 2012

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 (1)

Bronze: 2016

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.

Also Read: Sakshi Malik: Top five achievements of Indian wrestler

PV Sindhu (2)

  • Silver: 2016
  • Bronze: 2020

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 PV Sindhu managed to bag a silver medal in the women’s singles category. She would go on to add a bronze to her accolades four years later in Rio, Brazil.

Mirabai Chanu (1)

Silver: 2020

Mirabai Chanu made India proud in weightlifting, winning a silver medal in the women’s 49kg category. She lifted a total of 202kg, becoming only the second Indian weightlifter to win an Olympic medal after Karnam Malleswari.

Lovlina Borgohain (1)

Bronze: 2020

Lovlina Borgohain secured a bronze in the women’s 69kg division. She lost to the world champion in the semi-finals but still became only the second Indian female boxer to win an Olympic medal, following MC Mary Kom’s achievement.

Ravi Kumar Dahiya (1)

Silver: 2020

Ravi Kumar Dahiya added to India’s wrestling legacy by winning silver in the men’s 57kg category. He joined Sushil Kumar as the second Indian wrestler to win an Olympic silver medal.

Neeraj Chopra (2)

Gold: 2020

Silver: 2024

Neeraj Chopra made history in athletics, throwing the javelin 87.58 meters to win gold. This was India’s first-ever gold medal in athletics and the first athletics medal since the country’s independence. Chopra secured his second medal at Paris Olympics 2024. With a throw of 89.45m, he won the silver medal.

Also Read: Top five most memorable moments of Neeraj Chopra’s career

Bajrang Punia (1)

Bronze: 2020

Bajrang Punia rounded out India’s medal haul with a bronze in men’s 65kg wrestling, defeating Kazakhstan’s Daulet Niyazbekov. His win marked India’s seventh Olympic wrestling medal in Olympic history.

Manu Bhaker (2)

Bronze: 2024

Bronze:2024

Manu Bhaker won the bronze medal in women’s 10m air pistol shooting event at Paris Olympics 2024. She became the first Indian woman shooter to win an Olympic medal. Bhaker secured India’s first medal at Paris. The 22-year-old secured her second bronze medal of the games at Paris with Sarbjot Singh in mixed 10m air pistol.

Sarabjot Singh (1)

Bronze:2024

Sarbjot Singh won his first Olympic medal at the Paris Olympics 2024. He won the bronze medal in in mixed 10m air pistol with Manu Bhaker. Singh became the youngest male athlete from India to win a medal at the Olympics.

Swapnil Kusale (1)

Bronze:2024

Swapnil Kusale won the bronze medal in men’s 50m rifle three postions at Paris Olympocs 2024. He had finished seventh in qualification round and was placed sixth halfway through the final. But the 28-year-old bounced back with remarkable consistency to finish third in the final.

Aman Sehrawat (1)

Bronze:2024

Aman Sehrawat won the bronze medal in men’s 57 kg freestyle wrestling at Paris Olympics 2024. He defeated Darian Cruz of Puerto Rico in the bronze medal playoffs.

Indian Hockey Team (13)

Gold: 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1964, 1980Silver: 1960Bronze: 1968, 1972, 2020, 2024

India won their 13th Olympic medal in men’s hockey at Paris Olympics 2024. The men in blue won the bronze medal after defeating Spain 2-1.

India’s 41-year wait for an Olympic hockey medal ended in Tokyo when the Indian men’s hockey team defeated Germany 5-4, securing bronze at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. This marked India’s first podium finish since their gold-medal victory in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, making it their 12th hockey medal overall. India’s Olympic hockey success includes 8 gold, 1 silver, and 4 bronze medals.

Highlights of their achievements include a hat-trick of gold medals from 1928 to 1936, and another gold in 1964 Tokyo. Their latest bronze adds to their illustrious history, cementing their status as the most successful team in Olympic hockey history.

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