India is still remembered for its unbeaten six consecutive triumphs in the first six Olympic Games, winning six of six gold medals from 1928 to 1956 in hockey. Then over time, there was a declining graph in the number of medals India could’ve garnered at the Olympics.
But in recent times, India has done some commendable work in the world of the Olympics. At London 2012, India clinched a total of six medals at the event.
The best was yet to come. India’s most successful Olympic campaign was the Tokyo 2020 with an astounding haul of seven medals. They surpassed their previous record in London in 2012. They finished at 48th spot on the medal tally of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
India bagged -1 gold, 2 silver, and 4 bronze at Tokyo 2020. Also in this campaign, we got India’s first-ever track and field medalist in the Olympics through Neeraj Chopra.
Neeraj Chopra- Gold Medal
Neeraj Chopra won the historic gold with a Javelin throw of 87.58m. He became the youngest Indian to win an individual gold at the Olympics and India’s second individual Olympic champion after Abhinav Bindra.
Chopra is currently at Chula Vista, in California preparing for the World Athletics Championships to be held in Eugene (USA) from July 15 to 24.
Mirabai Chanu– Silver Medal
Mirabai Chanu is the first Indian to win a medal at Tokyo 2020 on the very first day of competition. She won the silver medal in the Weightlifting Women’s 49kg category.
Earlier at Rio 2016, she had faced disappointing defeats. She could not get any successful lift. Chanu holds a world record in the clean and jerk event in the 49kg category.
Ravi Dahiya – Silver medal
In Men’s freestyle 57kg (Wrestling), Ravi Dahiya won the silver medal in the Olympics. He is the second Indian wrestler after Sushil Kumar to win an Olympic silver medal. Dahiya came to the limelight when he qualified for Tokyo 2020 after winning the 2019 World Championship in Nur Sultan.
Ravi Kumar Dahiya lost to twice world champion Zavur Uguev of ROC in the final of the men’s 57kg freestyle wrestling.
PV Sindhu – Bronze Medal
PV Sindhu is the first Indian woman to win multiple medals and only second athlete after Sushil Kumar to win two individual Olympic medals.
In the badminton women’s singles, Sindhu defeated China’s He Bing Jiao 21-13, 21-15 to win the bronze medal.
Earlier at Rio 2016, she had won two medals, including a silver.
Lovlina Borgohain – Bronze medal
In her debut at the Olympics, Lovlina Borgohain became the third Indian boxer to win a medal after Vijender Singh(2008) and Mary Kom (2012). She lost to Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey in the women’s 69kg in the semi-final.
The 23-year-old Assamese secured the bronze by beating Chinese Taipei’s Nien-Chin Chen in the quarter-finals.
Bajrang Punia – Bronze medal
Although suffering two injuries, Bajrang Punia clinched the bronze medal. Speculations were the wrestler would win the gold.
The debutant outdid Kazakhstan’s Daulet Niyazbekov, a World Championships silver-medallist, in the men’s 65kg freestyle wrestling playoff to secure the bronze medal.
Indian Men’s Hockey team – Bronze medal
Since the gold at1980 Moscow, the Indian hockey team won an Olympic medal after four decades. India was grouped with Argentina, three-time world champion- Australia, New Zealand, Spain, and hosts Japan in Pool A. They lost only to the Aussies and entered the quarter finals by winning the remaining matches.
In quarters they beat Great Britain to enter into the semi-final. Losing in semis to Belgium put them across Germany in the bronze medal match. There, India beat Germany 5-4 to end the 41-year-long medal drought.
READ MORE : “Miracle on Ice”: When the USA Ice Hockey Team Stunned USSR at the Olympics
Tabinda Mir is a writer from Kashmir. She is an English Honours graduate and her interests primarily dwell in poetry and sports writing. She likes to cover Cricket as an avid fan. Apart from sports, her other publications include articles, poems and a letter to summer in the book titled, “Under The Summer Skies”.
Also, her leisure time activities include reading novels, poetry, non literary works, philosophies and writing poetry, short stories, articles on diverse themes.
