India at the Olympics since 1900

Have you ever wondered...

When did India begin its sports journey to the Olympics?

How many gold medals has India won since its first appearance in the Olympics?

In which game has India won the maximum gold medals?

Let's suppress the curiosity!

India first participated at the Olympic Games in 1900. The most amazing fact is that only one sportsperson (Norman Pritchard) won two silver medals in athletics.

Later, in 1920, the nation sent a team to the Summer Olympic Games and has participated in every Summer Games since that year. India has also competed at several Winter Olympic Games since 1964. In 1920, the Indian team consisted of two athletes, two wrestlers and a manager. Of all the four sports persons, only Phadeppa Dareppa Chaugule was able to complete his event, the Marathon. He got a rank of 19th in covering a distance of 42.750 km with a timing of 2 hours, 50 minutes and 45.4 seconds. Thus, he is India's first Olympic Marathon runner.

Since then, Indian athletes have won a total of 23 medals, mostly in hockey. For a long period, India's men's field hockey team remained dominant in Olympics. They won eleven medals in twelve Olympic seasons between 1928 and 1980, including six successive gold medals from 1928 to 1956.

The 2008 Summer Olympics was the most successful for Indians with the nation winning three Olympic medals in three different sports and also receiving its first individual Olympic gold medal won by Abhinav Bindra in the Men's 10-m Air Rifle competition.

Victories at the London Olympics 2012

The Indian contingent of 83 members participated in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, the largest ever contingent from India to participate in 55 events.

Gagan Narang won a Bronze medal in the 10-m Air Rifle.

Vijay Kumar won a Silver medal in the 25-m Rapid Fire Pistol.

Saina Nehwal won a Bronze medal in the Women's Singles event in Badminton.

Mary Kom won a Bronze medal in the Women's Flyweight (51 kg).