Indian athletes who qualified for final rounds of track & field events at Summer Olympics

Published at :August 25, 2024 at 2:22 PM

Modified at :August 26, 2024 at 1:39 AM

India have secured four medals till now in track & field in Olympics.

India has been a very successful nation in Athletics at continental championships like the Asian Games. However, their success is only limited to these championships as they have not been able to establish itself as a leading nation in track and field events at the global level, especially at the Summer Olympics.

Nevertheless, there are/were a few Indian athletes who could include their names in the history of Athletics by advancing to the final stage of the Olympic Games. Let’s take a look at the Indian athletes who have been able to achieve this incredible feat.

Norman Pritchard (Olympics – Paris Olympics 1900, Event – Men’s 200m, 200m Hurdles, 110m Hurdles)

Norman Pritchard qualified for the men’s 200m, 200m hurdles, and 110m hurdles finals at the Paris Olympics 1900. Out of these three events, he bagged two silver medals in the 200m and 200m hurdles, becoming India’s first-ever medalist in the history of the Summer Olympics. Although he also made it to the 110m hurdles finals, he couldn’t finish the race.

Milkha Singh (Olympics – Rome Olympics 1960, Event – Men’s 400m)

Milkha Singh became the first male athlete post-independence to qualify for the finals in a track and field event, competing in the men’s 400m at the 1960 Rome Olympics. Dubbed the “Flying Sikh,” Singh narrowly missed out on a bronze medal at the quadrennial games, finishing fourth and setting a national record time of 45.73 seconds.

Gurbachan Singh Randhawa (Olympics – Tokyo Olympics 1964, Event – Men’s 110m hurdles)

Gurbachan Singh Randhawa is known for representing India in 110m hurdles, high jump, and decathlon at the Rome Olympics 1960 and Tokyo Olympics 1964. However, his best performance at the stage of the Olympics came in the men’s 100m hurdles in Tokyo, where he achieved a fifth-place finish in a time of 14.07s.

S. Sriram Singh (Montreal Olympics 1976, Event – Men’s 800m)

Two-time Asian Games gold medalist Sriram Singh is among the Indian athletes who made an appearance in the finals of the men’s 800m at the Montreal Olympics 1976. In the finals, he ran a time of 1:45.77s to place seventh, in the event which saw Cuba’s Alberto Juantorena establishing a world record time with a 1:43.50.

PT Usha (Los Angeles Olympics 1984, Event – Women’s 400m hurdles)

PT Usha became the first Indian female athlete to reach the finals in a track and field event at the Olympics. She accomplished this feat by advancing into the finals of the women’s 400m hurdles, clocking the fastest time in Heat 2 of the semifinals with a 55.94s.

However, it was a heartbreaking campaign for Usha in the finals as she came fourth, clocking a sensational 55.42s. The bronze medalist Cristieana Cojocaru edged out PT Usha with a 55.41s run, who was just 0.01s better than the Indian athlete.

Women’s Relay Team (Los Angeles Olympics 1984, Event – Women’s 4*400m Relay)

The Indian women’s 4×400 metre relay team, featuring P. T. Usha, Shiny Abraham, M. D. Valsamma, and Vandana Rao, reached the finals at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. They set an Asian record with a time of 3:32.49 seconds, though they finished last in the final. This marked a significant moment as Indian women athletes began to emerge on the global stage, with Usha narrowly missing a bronze medal in the 400 metre hurdles by just one-hundredth of a second.

Anju Bobby George (Athens Olympics 2004, Event – Women’s long jump)

Anju Bobby George is another Indian athlete who has brought laurels to the nation on multiple occasions at the international level. One such time was when she made the finals of the women’s long jump at the Athens Olympics with a best effort of 6.69.

She then broke the national record, achieving a new personal best of 6.83m, in the finals of the long jump. Despite her impressive performance in the finals, the mark wasn’t enough to land her inside the top three, thus finishing fifth. Although the three Russian athletes who secured podium finishes at the Athens Olympics were later found guilty of doping, Anju Bobby George is yet to see a change in her medal color, despite her appeal.

Women’s Relay Team (Athens Olympics 2004, Event- Women’s 4*400m Relay)

At the 2004 Athens Olympics, the Indian women’s 4x400m relay team, including K. M. Beenamol, Sathi Geetha, Manjit Kaur, Rajwinder Kaur, and Chitra K. Soman, finished 7th in the final with a time of 3:28.51. This marked an improvement from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where the Indian team set then Asian record of 3:32.49. However, their time in Athens was still behind the gold-winning U.S. team and slower than the Asian record of 3:26.89 set during the same Olympics.

Krishna Poonia (London Olympics 2012, Event – Women’s Discus Throw)

Krishna Poonia represented India in women’s discus throw at the 2012 London Olympics, her second Olympic appearance after 2008. In the qualification round, she delivered a strong throw of 63.54 meters, earning her a spot in the final by finishing fifth in Group A.Poonia competed in the final, finishing seventh with a best throw of 63.62 meters. Her performance, while commendable, was below her personal best of 64.76 meters set earlier that year. Poonia’s best attempt came on her fifth throw, with other throws ranging from 61.31 meters to 62.42 meters. Croatia’s Sandra Perković won gold with a throw of 69.11 meters, while Russia’s Darya Pishchalnikova and China’s Li Yanfeng took silver and bronze.

Vikas Gowda (London Olympics 2012, Event – Men’s Discus Throw)

Vikas Gowda represented India in the men’s discus throw at the 2012 London Olympics, where he qualified for the finals with a throw of 65.20 meters. In the final, Gowda finished eighth, with his best throw measuring 63.62 meters.

His performance fell short of his personal best of 64.76 meters, achieved earlier that year. Despite his efforts, Gowda was unable to secure a medal. Germany’s Robert Harting won the gold with a throw of 68.27 meters.

Lalita Babar (Rio Olympics 2016, Event – Women’s 3000m Steeplechase)

Lalita Babar represented India in the women’s 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2016 Rio Olympics, making history as the first Indian woman to reach a track event final since P. T. Usha in 1984. In the heats on August 13, 2016, Babar set a new national record with a time of 9:19.76, surpassing her previous best of 9:27.09, and secured her place in the final. On August 15, she finished 10th in the final with a time of 9:22.74.

Kamalpreet Kaur (Tokyo Olympics 2020, Event – Women’s Discus Throw)

Kamalpreet Kaur is another Indian woman who progressed to the finals in a track and field event at the Olympics. She did so at the Tokyo Olympics by qualifying for the final stage in the discus throw with a best throw of 64.00 in the qualifications. In the finals, she secured sixth place in the discus throw after recording a 63.70m.

Neeraj Chopra (Tokyo Olympics 2020 and Paris Olympics 2024, Event – Men’s Javelin Throw)

Neeraj Chopra is the greatest Indian track and field athlete to ever grace the sport. At the Tokyo Olympics 2020, Chopra scripted history by becoming India’s first gold medalist in the sport with an 87.58m. He was also the first Indian to win a medal in track and field at the Olympics, since Pritchard, though born in India, was British.

Following his remarkable performance at the Tokyo Olympics, the reigning world champion continued to shine by securing a silver medal with a season-best throw of 89.45 meters.

Avinash Sable (Paris Olympics 2024, Event – 3000m Steeplechase)

Avinash Sable became the first Indian athlete since Sriram Singh at the Montreal Olympics to qualify for the finals in a track event. He achieved it by earning automatic qualification, finishing inside the top 5 in heat 2. In the finals, Sable came eleventh with a time of 8:14.18 at the Paris Olympics 2024.

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