India’s Olympic Medal History: A Detailed Timeline

Pre-Independence Era

Paris 1900 – Norman Pritchard

1. Silver – Men’s 200m hurdles

• Set Olympic record of 26.8 seconds in semi-finals
• Finished second in final with 26.0 seconds

1. Silver – Men’s 200m sprint

• Finished second in final with 22.8 seconds

Post-Independence Era

Hockey Dominance (1928-1980)

Amsterdam 1928 – Gold

• First Olympic gold for Indian hockey
• Scored 29 goals without conceding in 5 matches
• Dhyan Chand scored 14 goals, including a hat-trick in the final against Netherlands

Los Angeles 1932 – Gold

• Beat Japan 11-1 and USA 24-1
• Roop Singh (Dhyan Chand’s brother) scored 10 goals against USA
• Dhyan Chand contributed 8 goals in the same match

Berlin 1936 – Gold

• Dhyan Chand as captain
• Scored 38 goals in 5 matches, conceding only 1
• Dhyan Chand’s second hat-trick in Olympic finals led to 8-1 victory against Germany

London 1948 – Gold

• First post-independence gold
• Scored 19 goals in 3 matches to reach semi-finals
• Beat Netherlands 2-1 in semis
• Balbir Singh Sr.’s brace helped defeat Great Britain 4-0 in final

Helsinki 1952 – Gold

• Fifth consecutive gold
• Balbir Singh Sr. scored 9 goals in 3 matches
• Set record with 5 goals in final against Netherlands

Melbourne 1956 – Gold

• Sixth consecutive gold
• Did not concede a single goal in entire tournament
• Beat Pakistan 1-0 in final
• Captain Balbir Singh Sr. played final with fractured right hand

Rome 1960 – Silver

• Lost to Pakistan 1-0 in final, ending gold medal streak

Tokyo 1964 – Gold

• Returned to top of podium
• Beat Australia in semis
• Defeated Pakistan 1-0 in final with penalty stroke goal

Mexico City 1968 – Bronze

• First time finishing outside top two
• Lost 2-1 to Australia in semi-finals
• Beat West Germany 2-1 for bronze

Munich 1972 – Bronze

• Won 4 matches, drew 2 in preliminary rounds
• Lost 2-0 to Pakistan in semi-finals
• Defeated Netherlands 2-1 for bronze

Moscow 1980 – Gold

• Last hockey gold for India at Olympics
• Won 3, drew 2 in preliminary rounds
• Beat Spain 4-3 in final

Individual Medals (1952-2016)

Helsinki 1952 – KD Jadhav

• Bronze – Men’s bantamweight freestyle wrestling
• India’s first individual Olympic medallist

Atlanta 1996 – Leander Paes

• Bronze – Men’s singles tennis
• Ended 16-year medal drought
• Beat Fernando Meligani in bronze medal match

Sydney 2000 – Karnam Malleswari

• Bronze – Women’s 54kg weightlifting
• First Indian woman to win an Olympic medal
• Total lift: 240kg (110kg snatch, 130kg clean and jerk)

Athens 2004 – Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore

• Silver – Men’s double trap shooting
• India’s first Olympic shooting medal

Beijing 2008

1. Abhinav Bindra – Gold – Men’s 10m air rifle shooting

• India’s first individual Olympic gold
• Shot 10.8 with final attempt

1. Vijender Singh – Bronze – Men’s middleweight boxing

• First Indian Olympic boxing medal

1. Sushil Kumar – Bronze – Men’s 66kg freestyle wrestling

• First wrestling medal for India in 56 years

London 2012

1. Gagan Narang – Bronze – Men’s 10m air rifle shooting
2. Sushil Kumar – Silver – Men’s 66kg freestyle wrestling

• Became India’s only two-time individual Olympic medallist

1. Vijay Kumar – Silver – Men’s 25m rapid fire pistol shooting
2. Mary Kom – Bronze – Women’s flyweight boxing
3. Yogeshwar Dutt – Bronze – Men’s 60kg freestyle wrestling
4. Saina Nehwal – Bronze – Women’s singles badminton

• First Indian badminton Olympic medal

Rio 2016

1. PV Sindhu – Silver – Women’s singles badminton
2. Sakshi Malik – Bronze – Women’s 58kg freestyle wrestling

• First female Indian wrestler to win Olympic medal

Tokyo 2020 – India’s Best Olympic Performance

1. Mirabai Chanu – Silver – Women’s 49kg weightlifting

• Total lift: 202kg

1. Lovlina Borgohain – Bronze – Women’s welterweight (64-69kg) boxing
2. PV Sindhu – Bronze – Women’s singles badminton

• First Indian woman to win two individual Olympic medals

1. Ravi Kumar Dahiya – Silver – Men’s 57kg freestyle wrestling
2. Men’s Hockey Team – Bronze

• First hockey medal in 41 years
• Dramatic 5-4 victory over Germany

1. Bajrang Punia – Bronze – Men’s 65kg freestyle wrestling
2. Neeraj Chopra – Gold – Men’s javelin throw

• India’s first Olympic track and field medal
• Throw of 87.58m secured gold

This detailed timeline showcases India’s rich Olympic history, from its early successes in hockey to the diverse range of sports in which Indian athletes have excelled in recent years. The Tokyo 2020 performance, with 7 medals across 6 sports, marks a new high point in India’s Olympic journey.