List of India’s Olympics Medals (1900-2020)

TNI Bureau:  India’s Olympic campaign was kicked off with a two-medal sweep on their debut in 1900 albeit that came via a British Indian. Since then, India has won 35 medals in 24 Olympic Games, including Gold, Silver, and Bronze. It’s that time of year when sportspersons  accomplishments at the highest level – the Olympic Games – are recalled and honoured.

The following is a list of all the medals India has won at the Olympics.

Norman Pritchard – Silver medal in men’s 200m and 200m hurdles, Paris 1900

At the 1900 Paris Olympics, India made its Olympic debut with Norman Pritchard. The first Indian (British) athlete to compete in the modern Summer Olympics competed in five men’s athletics events – the 60m, 100m, 200m, 110m, and 200m hurdles – and won silver medals in the 200m and 200m hurdles. Pre-independence, Norman Pritchard earned India’s first individual medal – Men’s 200m Sprint & Men’s 200m Hurdles.

He qualified for the 1900 International Championships (as the Olympics were then termed) as a representative of both the London AC and the Bengal Presidency AC by winning the 100-yard event and the 120-yard hurdles at the AAA Championships.

Indian Men’s Hockey  Team – Gold Medal, Amsterdam 1928

The Olympics had been a platform for Major Dhyan Chand’s brilliance to be showcased to the rest of the world. India won their first hockey gold after scoring 29 goals in five games while allowing none. Dhyan Chand scored 14 goals in the tournament, including a hat-trick in the final against the Netherlands. This was India’s first Olympic medal, as well as the country’s first gold.

India’s winning streak included a 6-0 thrashing of Austria, a 9-0 hammering of Belgium, a 5-0 beating of Denmark, a 6-0 routing of Switzerland, and a 3-0 victory against hosts Netherlands in the final.

Indian Men’s Hockey  Team – Gold Medal, Los Angeles 1932

Roop Singh, Dhyan Chand’s younger brother, scored three goals in India’s 11-1 win over Japan to begin their defence. Dhyan Chand scored four goals on his own. Then, in the final, Roop Singh’s 10-goal performance and eight goals from the Hockey Wizard (Major Dhyan Chand) himself won a stunning 24-1 victory against the USA. To this day, the score is still a world record.

Indian Men’s Hockey  Team- Gold medal, Berlin 1936

The Indian hockey team won a hat-trick of Olympic golds in Berlin 1936, led by Dhyan Chand. This time, India scored 38 goals in five games and only surrendered one in the final against Germany, which they won 8-1 owing to Dhyan Chand’s second hat-trick in Olympic finals.

Indian Men’s Hockey  Team – Gold medal, London 1948

The Indian hockey team, unexpectedly, won the first gold medal for India after independence, reclaiming the top spot on the Olympic podium in London in 1948. The Olympics Games were not held in 1940 and 1944 due to World War II.

India’s dominance at the Olympics continued  when Balbir Singh Sr., a new champion of the game, emerged from their ranks. India scored 19 goals in three games to reach the final, where they won 4-0 against hosts Great Britain to extend their Olympic gold-winning streak to four.

Indian Men’s Hockey  Team – Gold medal, Helsinki 1952

The Indian team marched to a stunning fifth gold medal in a row in Helsinki, despite the chilly circumstances they weren’t used to back home, with Balbir Singh Sr. scoring nine goals in three games. In the summit match, India defeated the Netherlands 6-1, with Balbir scoring five of the goals.

KD Jadhav – Bronze medal in men’s bantamweight Wrestling, Helsinki 1952

When K.D Jadhav won a flyweight bronze medal in Helsinki in 1952, it was the first individual Olympic medal for independent India. With his bronze medal in the men’s freestyle bantamweight division, wrestler Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav became India’s first individual Olympic medalist. It was due recompense for the diligent wrestler, who had to go through many hardships for his Olympic journey and had to show himself on the grandest platform of all.

The Maharaja of Kolhapur financed Jadhav’s trip to the 1948 London Olympics, which gave him his first taste of the big stage. He was coached by Rees Gardner, a former lightweight World champion from the United States, during his time in London. Despite being inexperienced with mat wrestling, Gardner’s assistance helped Jadhav place sixth in the flyweight division.

Indian Men’s Hockey  Team –  Gold medal, Melbourne 1956

The Indian hockey team won six Olympic gold medals in a row in Melbourne in 1956. India did not surrender a single goal during the tournament, and skipper Balbir Singh Sr. played in the final despite a fracture in his right hand, as India defeated Pakistan 1-0.

Indian Men’s Hockey  Team – Silver medal, Rome 1960

After years of numerous teams attempting and failing to halt their juggernaut, Pakistan eventually ended India’s Olympic gold-medal winning run, defeating their neighbours by a 1-0 margin — similar to the one in the 1956 Olympic final, but instead Pakistan  were the ones to score.

Indian Men’s Hockey  Team – Gold medal, Tokyo 1964

India was back on top in Olympic hockey, with gold medals around their necks the last time the games were held in Tokyo. India was unbeaten going into the semis, having won four of their six group games before defeating Australia in the semifinals. In the final, they played Pakistan for the third time, and the score stayed the same — 1-0.

Indian Men’s Hockey  Team – Bronze medal, Mexico City 1968

Around this period, India’s golden era of hockey was beginning to decline, yet the Indian squad was still a force to be reckoned with. The Indian hockey team was gradually losing its grip as hockey became more popular in Europe, and the bronze medal in Mexico 1968 was the first sign. India defeated Mexico, Spain, and Japan in a walkover, but were defeated 2-1 by Australia in the semi-finals.

India won the bronze medal with a 2-1 victory over West Germany, finishing outside of the top two for the very first time at the Olympics.

Indian Men’s Hockey  Team – Bronze medal, Munich 1972

The 1972 Olympics, which will go down in history for all the wrong reasons, saw India finish outside the top two in hockey for the second year in a row, this time losing 2-0 to neighbours Pakistan. India defeated the Netherlands 2-1 in the bronze medal match, bouncing back from a semi-final setback.

Indian Men’s Hockey  Team – Gold medal, Moscow 1980

Due to the boycott spearheaded by the United States, a huge number of important hockey forces were absent from the Games, making the route to the final relatively simple. India won three and drew two matches in the round-robin round to finish among the top two teams that qualified for the final in a modified format as a result of a reduced field.

The Indian team won the gold medal in the final, defeating Spain 4-3. This was India’s final Olympic gold medal in hockey.

Leander Paes – Bronze medal in men’s singles Lawn Tennis, Atlanta 1996

The 1996 Atlanta Olympics was a great milestone in Indian tennis when Leander Paes became the nation’s first individual Olympic medalist in 44 years. India had gone three editions without a medal before a youthful Leander Paes brought them back to winning ways in 1996 with a bronze.

This was the tennis legend’s second Olympic participation. He first competed in the 1992 tournament, which was hosted in Barcelona.  Returning to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Leander Paes qualified for the men’s singles semi-finals after defeating Pete Sampras and Richey Reneberg. After losing in the semi-finals to Andre Agassi, Paes won the bronze medal match against Fernando Meligani.

Karnam Malleswari – Bronze medal  in women’s 54kg Weightlifting, Sydney 2000

Karnam Malleswari has altered not only the sport of weightlifting, but also how women see sports. She became the first Indian woman to win a medal in the Olympics. She earned the bronze medal in women’s 69kg weightlifting on September 19, 2000, India’s lone medal in Sydney and only the third individual Olympic medal.

For the most of her career, Malleswari competed in the 54kg class, but at the 2000 Games, she was competing in the 69kg division. Even in a heavier weight category, a 63kg medal at the 1998 Asiad had given her all the assurance and confidence she required.

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore –  Silver medal  in men’s double trap shooting, Athens 2004

At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won India’s first Olympic silver medal.  The army colonel, who fought in Kargil during the 1999 conflict with Pakistan, gradually transitioned to sports shooting, culminating in a silver medal, India’s only medal at that edition.

When the Indian army decided to create a shooting team in 1998, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore initially took up a rifle for sport. Rathore, who had finished fifth in the preliminary round with a score of 135, shot consistently in the final round to win silver with a score of 179.

Abhinav Bindra – Gold medal in men’s 10m Air Rifle Shooting, Beijing 2008

Abhinav Bindra will go down in Indian sporting history as the country’s first individual Olympic gold medalist. With his final shot, the Indian shooter hit a near-perfect 10.8, securing a gold medal.

Abhinav Bindra’s gold medal in the men’s 10m air rifle at the 2008 Beijing Olympics was the pinnacle of a brilliant sports career that included a World Championship gold and several medals at the Commonwealth and Asian Games.

As a 15-year-old, the Indian shooter competed in the Commonwealth Games in 1998, and then went on to compete in the Sydney Olympics in 2000 as the youngest Indian competitor.

Vijender Singh – Bronze medal in men’s middleweight Boxing, Beijing 2008

Vijender Singh trained with a fresh emphasis for the upcoming Olympics after a first-round exit at the 2004 Athens Games. Before going to Beijing, he won medals in the Asian Games, Asian Championships, and Commonwealth Games.

In the second round of the Beijing 2008 Olympics, middleweight boxer Singh faced Angkhan Chomphuphuang (Thailand), but the fight left the Indian in excruciating pain. Vijender Singh, on the other hand, recovered in three days to face Ecuador’s Carlos Gongora in the quarter-final. The Indian utilised his outstanding footwork and crisp punches to overcome the Ecuadorian 9-4, securing India’s first Olympic boxing medal.

Even though  Singh lost to Emilio Correa of Cuba, he came away with third place.

Sushil Kumar – Bronze medal in men’s 66kg Wrestling, Beijing 2008

With his bronze medal in the 66kg division at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, Sushil Kumar became India’s first Olympic wrestling medalist since Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav’s bronze in 1952.

After losing his first bout, Sushil Kumar proceeded to win three bouts in the repechage round in under 70 minutes to take bronze. For the first time in 56 years, India won an Olympic medal in wrestling.

Gagan Narang – Bronze medal in men’s 10m Air Rifle Shooting, London 2012

Gagan Narang is an Olympic Gold Quest-supported Indian shooter. He was the first Indian competitor to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London. With a final score of 701.1, he won bronze in the Men’s 10 m Air Rifle Event at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Narang earned bronze in the men’s 10m air rifle at London after barely missing out on the final round in the previous Olympics due to countback. Gagan Narang competed in a tight final with China’s Wang Tao and Italy’s Nicolo Campriani in front of a global audience before finishing third.

Sushil Kumar – Silver medal in men’s 66kg Wrestling, London 2012

Sushil Kumar, India’s flag-bearer for the opening ceremony, was the nation’s biggest medal hope in 2012. He battled through terrible bodily aches to make it to the final before succumbing to weariness. Sushil Kumar finished second in the final after losing to Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu, making him India’s sole two-time Olympic medalist.

Vijay Kumar – Silver medal in men’s 25m Rapid Pistol Shooting, London 2012

Honorary Captain Vijay Kumar Sharma, AVSM, SM is an Indian sport shooter. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he placed second in the individual 25-meter rapid fire pistol event.

Vijay Kumar, who was hardly known before the Games, won a silver medal in the 25m fast pistol and cemented his place in history. Vijay Kumar was tied with China’s Ding Feng heading into the sixth round of the final, but he outshot Feng to go to the final round. Vijay Kumar had to settle for silver with Cuba’s Leuris Pupo winning gold.

Mary Kom – Bronze medal in women’s flyweight Boxing, London 2012

Since its inception in 2001, Mary Kom has won medals at all eight AIBA World Boxing Championships (six golds, a silver, and a bronze, most recently in 2019), risen to No. 1 in the AIBA world flyweight rankings, and competed in the London 2012 Olympic Games, winning a bronze medal after being defeated by eventual champion Nicola Adams.

She was also the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at both the Asian Games in 2014  and Commonwealth Games in 2018.

Yogeshwar Dutt – Bronze medal in men’s 60kg Wrestling, London 2012

Wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, who had competed in three Olympics before London 2012, finally realised his  ambition when he won bronze in the 60kg division. In the final repechage round, he beat North Korean Ri Jong Myong in 1:02 minutes.

Yogeshwar Dutt fought knee and back problems to qualify for the London Olympics, winning his first bout before losing in the Round of 16 against world champion Besik Kudukhov.

Kudukhov, on the other hand, advanced to the final, giving Yogeshwar Dutt another chance at a medal in the repechage stages. Yogeshwar Dutt won three consecutive bouts despite an eye injury to earn Olympic bronze and accomplish a lifetime goal.

Saina Nehwal – Bronze medal in women’s singles Badminton, London 2012

Saina Nehwal is the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in badminton. When the Indian shuttler won the bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympics, she made history.

When she won the BWF World Junior Championships in 2008, the Haryana shuttler turned heads early in her career. She competed in her first Olympics in Beijing the following year, but it wasn’t until London 2012 that she earned international recognition.

PV Sindhu – Silver medal in women’s singles Badminton, Rio 2016

Pusarla Venkata Sindhu is the most successful Indian badminton player of the 21st century. When it comes to Indian badminton , the World Champion is in a class by herself as the first Indian woman to win a silver medal at the Olympics and gold at the BWF World Championships.

Sakshi Malik – Bronze medal  in women’s 58kg Wrestling, Rio 2016

With her bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Sakshi Malik gave women’s wrestling in India a whole new significance. The Indian wrestler won her first two matches before losing in the final eight against eventual silver medalist Valeria Koblova of ROC.

Sakshi Malik made the most of her second opportunity in the repechage stages, winning both of her fights to take home the bronze medal – a first for women’s wrestling in India.

Mirabai Chanu – Silver medal in women’s 49kg Weightlifting, Tokyo 2020

Mirabai Chanu rose to worldwide notoriety after she won a silver medal in the 48kg division at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow at the age of 20.

She overcame her disappointment from Rio 2016 to win silver in the women’s 49kg division with a total lift of 202kg. It was her maiden Olympic medal, and she became the second Indian weightlifter to do so after Karnam Malleswari. It was India’s first Olympic medal in Tokyo Olympics this year.

PV Sindhu – Bronze medal in women’s singles Badminton, Tokyo 2020

PV Sindhu, the Indian badminton queen, became the first Indian woman and just the second Indian athlete to win two individual Olympic medals, following Sushil Kumar.

PV Sindhu won the bronze medal in the women’s singles after defeating China’s He Bing Jiao 21-13, 21-15.

Lovlina Borgohain – Bronze medal in women’s welterweight Boxing (64-69kg), Tokyo 2020

Lovlina Borgohain obtained a bronze medal in the women’s 69kg event at Tokyo 2020, after losing in the semi-finals against top seed Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey.

Lovlina Borgohain  secured a medal by defeating Chinese Taipei’s Nien-Chin Chen in the quarter-finals.

She won the gold in the first India Open International Boxing Tournament in New Delhi and silver in the second India Open International Boxing Tournament in Guwahati. Borgohain is Assam’s first female athlete and the state’s second boxer to compete in the Olympics.

Ravi Kumar Dahiya – Silver medal in men’s 57kg freestyle Wrestling, Tokyo 2020

In the men’s 57kg freestyle wrestling final, debutant Ravi Kumar Dahiya lost to twice world champion Zavur Uguev of ROC, earning a silver medal.

It was India’s eighth silver medal in the Olympics, and their second in wrestling. When Ravi Kumar Dahiya overcame Kazakhstan’s Nurislam Sanayev in the semi-finals, he was guaranteed of an Olympic medal. He was down 2-9 at one point before winning a few of points and pinning Sanayev to complete an incredible comeback and win the medal.

Indian Hockey team – Bronze medal in Men’s Hockey, Tokyo 2020

The Indian men’s hockey team finally finally won an Olympic medal after a 41-year hiatus since winning gold in the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

After falling behind 3-1 at one point, India rallied to defeat Germany 5-4 to win the bronze medal. It’s their third Olympic bronze medal, following  1968 and 1972, and their 12th overall. It was India’s fifth medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Bajrang Punia – Bronze medal in men’s 65kg Wrestling, Tokyo 2020

Bajrang Punia, a wrestler, became the third Indian rookie to win a medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Punia won bronze in the men’s 65kg freestyle wrestling playoff against Kazakhstan’s Daulet Niyazbekov.

It was India’s sixth medal at the Tokyo Olympics, matching their record haul at a single edition. He is the only wrestler from India to win three World Wrestling Championship medals.

Neeraj Chopra – Gold medal in men’s Javelin Throw, Tokyo 2020

With his gold in the men’s javelin throw at Tokyo 2020, Neeraj Chopra became India’s second individual Olympic Gold medalist after Abhinav Bindra. It was India’s first ever Olympic track and field gold medal.

India’s seventh medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was their best-ever haul in a single edition of the Games. Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal with a throw of 87.58 metres.

Chopra set a world under-20 record of 86.48 metres in the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships. He made his debut in the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2018 Asian Games, where he was the opening flag-bearer, winning gold medals in both.