Paris, 1990Norman Pritchard is touted as the first Indian to gain Olympic glory,
bagging silvers in 200m and 200m hurdles in Paris. Though born to
Anglo-Indian parents in Calcutta, british historians claim him and his two medals theirs. T
he International Olympic Committee credits the medal to India.Antwerp, 1920It was
Sir Dorabji Tata who largely
financed an Indian contingent of six or seven athletes to the
1920 Olympics. India was an unofficial participant and its performance was poor.
Amsterdam, 1928On
May 26, 1928, before a crowd nearly 24,000 spectators, I
ndia beat the Netherlands 3-0 at hockey to win their
first Olympic Gold medal.
Dhyan Chand scored 14 of India's 29 goals in the games. India retained gold in the Los Angeles Olympic for four years later.
Dhyan Chand and younger brother together notched 25 of 35 goals scored by the team.
Berlin, 1936At this politically charged Olympics, a patriotic I
ndian contingent gave a luke warm response- the merest salute-to Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler during the marchpast. Though 31, Dhyan Chand scored six times to help
India beat Germany 8-1 in the finals.London, 1948India trounced their recently deposed masters, Great Britan, to win the hockey gold yet again.
Helsinki, 1952The hockey team won its fifth gold medal but India bagged- for the first time- another medal,
a bronze in wrestling. The winner
, Khashaba Jadhav, who could travel to Helsinki after his
principal could raise Rs 7000 by mortgaging his home.
Melbourne, 1956India got their sixth gold in hockey. The games also marked the pinnacle of Indian Football as they became the
first Asian team to enter the semifinals.Rome, 1960The
legend Milkha Singh was born here- and with it, a lifetime of regret. He was leading the pack in the 400m final but slowed down, fearing that he was too fast. In that moment, three other athletes overtook him, leaving him fourth.
India lost the hockey gold to Pakistan but regained it years later at Tokyo.Mexico City, 1968 I
gnominy for hockey came here, as for the first time, India failed to reach an Olympic final. They were to win only one gold after that, in 1980.Los Angeles, 1984Running in the fifth lane in the Women's 400m hurdles final,
'Payyoli Express' P.T. Usha finished fourth, missing bronze by a heart breaking one-hundreth of a second. Usha was the first indian woman to reach the final of an Olympic event.
Atlanta, 1996Known to perform his best when playing under the Indian flag, a plucky
Leander Paes upset several higher-ranked players to reach the semi-finals, wher he lost to eventual champion
Andre Agassi. He managed the bronze,
though beating Brazilian Fernando Meligeni 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the playoff.
Sydney, 2000Karnam Malleswari became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic Medal, lifting a total of
240kg in the 69 kg weightlifting division. Interestingly, a leading newsmagazine had discounted her chances because it said she drank beer and ate
"too much" chicken and cheese!!!
Athens, 2004Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, then a Major in the Indian Army, won
India's only medal at Athens, a silver, in the double trap event. And to think it ws only in 1988 that he took up competitive shooting!!
Indian boxer Vijender Kumar defeated Thailand's Angkhan Chomphuphuang in the 75 kg category of the boxing event on Saturday.
