India’s journey at the Olympics has been marked by both struggles and triumphs, evolving significantly over the years. India’s performance at the Olympics has improved over the years, with more focus on training, infrastructure, and support for athletes. India’s journey at the Olympics reflects a story of resilience, perseverance, and gradual improvement, paving the way for future successes on the global stage.
1908 Norman Pritchard: Athletics
Born in Calcutta, Norman was a football and athletics star and once scored a hat-trick for St.Xavier’s College against Sovabazar. Pritchard was in England during the trials and did well enough to be selected in five events, winning two silver medals in the 200m & the 200m hurdles. His home club was Presidency Athletic Club Bengal and so IOC credited those medals to India. Pritchard went on to work for Bird & Company in Calcutta, where Amitabh Bachchan also started his corporate career. He later emigrated to England and then went on to Hollywood using the screen name Norman Trevor and appearing in hits like ‘Beau Geste’ & ‘Mad Hour’.
1928 Jaipal Singh Munda: Hockey
A 25-year-old tribal, Jaipal Singh Munda, was the Indian hockey captain when they embarked on their first Olympics in 1928. Jaipal was a cattle herder who so impressed the missionaries with his athletic and educational abilities that they sent him to England for higher studies at Oxford, where he graduated in Economics. He later represented his people in the first Constituent Assembly of India. He did not play the finals though, where Dhyan Chand scored two goals to lead the Indians past hosts Netherlands at Amsterdam.
1932 Roop Singh: Hockey
Just three teams played in the hockey tournament in the 1932 Olympics, down from 9 in 1928. India routed Japan 11-1 and the USA 24-1. Roop Singh, Dhyan Chand’s brother, scored 13 goals in the two matches to emerge as top scorer. The team had to play exhibition matches around the country and in many ports on their voyage to LA to pay for their travel and stay in LA. In those days, to get a medal, one had to play at least one match, so the Indian team rotated the entire squad for their second match so that all were eligible.
1936 Dhyan Chand: Hockey
Dhyan Chand scored three goals in the final against Berlin which India won 8-1. He lost a tooth after a collision with German keeper Tito Warnholtz but returned after seeking medical attention. In the second half, he reportedly played barefoot to run faster. In all, the Indian hockey team scored 38 goals in all in five matches and conceded just one.
1952 KD Jadhav: Wrestling
Born in a family of wrestlers from Satara, Maharashtra, Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav first participated in the 1948 Olympics, where he finished a creditable 6th though he had never ever wrestled on a mat. In 1952, his trip was mainly financed from crowd-funding in his and neighbouring villages.
As they were still short, the principal of Gangaram College mortgaged his house, and Jadhav’s coach took a personal loan to send him to Helsinki. He lost to the Soviet Rashid Mammadbeyov after not being allowed the mandatory half-hour rest after his previous bout, but won his remaining bouts to win independent India’s first individual bronze medal. A 151-bullock-cart procession welcomed him back in Satara after the Olympics.
1996 Leander Paes: Tennis
Leander Paes’ father, Dr Vece Paes, was with the 1972 bronze medal-winning Indian Olympic hockey team and his mother, Jennifer was representing India in basketball. Leander was ranked 138th at the start of 1996, and still made it to the top 3, losing to Agassi in the semi-finals. Paes snapped a tendon in his wrist during the bronze medal match, and somehow managed to hold on long enough to beat close friend Fernando Meligeni.
2000 Karnam Malleswari: Weightlifting
Fifteen-year-old Malleswari was first spotted by legendary Soviet coach Taranenko when accompanying her sister to a national camp in Delhi. In Sydney, she and Hungary’s Erzsebet Markus and China’s Lin Weining were in joint first after the ‘snatch’ category. In the ‘clean and jerk’ Malleswari took a chance with a 137.5 kg weight which she had lifted in practice, but just missed, ending in third place.
2008 Abhinav Bindra: Shooting
In the 2004 Olympics, Bindra established a new Olympic record in the qualifiers, but finally finished 7th. In his preparation for Beijing, he attended a commando course, practiced shooting in marriage halls to simulate the capacious venue and weighed every pellet he used. Tied for first with Finn Henri Hakkinen in the last round, Bindra shot an almost perfect 10.7 to win gold.
2016 PV Sindhu: Badminton
Both Sindhu’s parents are former volleyball stars (her father PV Ramana won the Arjuna award). Sindhu was seeded 9th coming into the Rio Olympics, but she earned her place in the final, where she finally lost to top seed Carolina Marin.
2021 Neeraj Chopra: Javelin throw
A serving soldier, Neeraj Chopra’s coach is the legendary Uwe Hohn, the only person to throw a javelin 100 metres before the javelin design was changed by the IOA. Chopra won gold with a throw of 87.58 m in his second attempt, becoming the first Indian Olympian to win a gold medal in athletics. He dedicated his win to sprinters Milkha Singh and PT Usha, both of whom narrowly missed an Olympic medal.
1908 Norman Pritchard: Athletics
Born in Calcutta, Norman was a football and athletics star and once scored a hat-trick for St.Xavier’s College against Sovabazar. Pritchard was in England during the trials and did well enough to be selected in five events, winning two silver medals in the 200m & the 200m hurdles. His home club was Presidency Athletic Club Bengal and so IOC credited those medals to India. Pritchard went on to work for Bird & Company in Calcutta, where Amitabh Bachchan also started his corporate career. He later emigrated to England and then went on to Hollywood using the screen name Norman Trevor and appearing in hits like ‘Beau Geste’ & ‘Mad Hour’.
1928 Jaipal Singh Munda: Hockey
A 25-year-old tribal, Jaipal Singh Munda, was the Indian hockey captain when they embarked on their first Olympics in 1928. Jaipal was a cattle herder who so impressed the missionaries with his athletic and educational abilities that they sent him to England for higher studies at Oxford, where he graduated in Economics. He later represented his people in the first Constituent Assembly of India. He did not play the finals though, where Dhyan Chand scored two goals to lead the Indians past hosts Netherlands at Amsterdam.
1932 Roop Singh: Hockey
Just three teams played in the hockey tournament in the 1932 Olympics, down from 9 in 1928. India routed Japan 11-1 and the USA 24-1. Roop Singh, Dhyan Chand’s brother, scored 13 goals in the two matches to emerge as top scorer. The team had to play exhibition matches around the country and in many ports on their voyage to LA to pay for their travel and stay in LA. In those days, to get a medal, one had to play at least one match, so the Indian team rotated the entire squad for their second match so that all were eligible.
1936 Dhyan Chand: Hockey
Dhyan Chand scored three goals in the final against Berlin which India won 8-1. He lost a tooth after a collision with German keeper Tito Warnholtz but returned after seeking medical attention. In the second half, he reportedly played barefoot to run faster. In all, the Indian hockey team scored 38 goals in all in five matches and conceded just one.
1952 KD Jadhav: Wrestling
Born in a family of wrestlers from Satara, Maharashtra, Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav first participated in the 1948 Olympics, where he finished a creditable 6th though he had never ever wrestled on a mat. In 1952, his trip was mainly financed from crowd-funding in his and neighbouring villages.
As they were still short, the principal of Gangaram College mortgaged his house, and Jadhav’s coach took a personal loan to send him to Helsinki. He lost to the Soviet Rashid Mammadbeyov after not being allowed the mandatory half-hour rest after his previous bout, but won his remaining bouts to win independent India’s first individual bronze medal. A 151-bullock-cart procession welcomed him back in Satara after the Olympics.
1996 Leander Paes: Tennis
Leander Paes’ father, Dr Vece Paes, was with the 1972 bronze medal-winning Indian Olympic hockey team and his mother, Jennifer was representing India in basketball. Leander was ranked 138th at the start of 1996, and still made it to the top 3, losing to Agassi in the semi-finals. Paes snapped a tendon in his wrist during the bronze medal match, and somehow managed to hold on long enough to beat close friend Fernando Meligeni.
2000 Karnam Malleswari: Weightlifting
Fifteen-year-old Malleswari was first spotted by legendary Soviet coach Taranenko when accompanying her sister to a national camp in Delhi. In Sydney, she and Hungary’s Erzsebet Markus and China’s Lin Weining were in joint first after the ‘snatch’ category. In the ‘clean and jerk’ Malleswari took a chance with a 137.5 kg weight which she had lifted in practice, but just missed, ending in third place.
2008 Abhinav Bindra: Shooting
In the 2004 Olympics, Bindra established a new Olympic record in the qualifiers, but finally finished 7th. In his preparation for Beijing, he attended a commando course, practiced shooting in marriage halls to simulate the capacious venue and weighed every pellet he used. Tied for first with Finn Henri Hakkinen in the last round, Bindra shot an almost perfect 10.7 to win gold.
2016 PV Sindhu: Badminton
Both Sindhu’s parents are former volleyball stars (her father PV Ramana won the Arjuna award). Sindhu was seeded 9th coming into the Rio Olympics, but she earned her place in the final, where she finally lost to top seed Carolina Marin.
2021 Neeraj Chopra: Javelin throw
A serving soldier, Neeraj Chopra’s coach is the legendary Uwe Hohn, the only person to throw a javelin 100 metres before the javelin design was changed by the IOA. Chopra won gold with a throw of 87.58 m in his second attempt, becoming the first Indian Olympian to win a gold medal in athletics. He dedicated his win to sprinters Milkha Singh and PT Usha, both of whom narrowly missed an Olympic medal.
