India has been a regular in the Olympics since the 1920 Antwerp Olympic Games. It has been a long journey and ever since India has been represented in various disciplines at the Games. Here is a list of some important facts:
- Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav – First medallist
Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav is the first Indian athlete who represented India at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki and won a bronze medal in wrestling. However, his first appearance was in the 1948 London Olympics where he finished sixth.
- Balbir Singh Dosanjh – Three-time gold winner
Balbir Singh Dosanjh is a three-time gold winner in hockey at the Olympics and represented India in the 1948, 1952, and 1956 Games. He is considered one of the best India produced. He scored five goals against The Netherlands and it still stands as the record for most scored by an individual in an Olympic men’s hockey final.
- Karnam Malleswari – First Indian weightlifter
Karnam Malleswari is the first Indian weightlifter to have won a medal in the Olympics. Known as the ‘Iron Lady’, she won bronze in Sydney 2000. Till date she is the she is the only Indian woman weightlifter to have won an Olympic medal.
- Phadeppa Dareppa Chaugule – First Indian Olympic marathon runner
Phadeppa Dareppa Chaugule is the first Indian Olympic marathon runner. In 1920, he represented India at the Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, and finished 19th. He was honoured with the title Pavananjaya, the Conqueror of the Wind, by the local community.
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- Chintamoni Kar – Art in Olympics
Chintamoni Kar is an Indian sculptor who entered 1948 Summer Olympics in London as a competitor for Great Britain and won the silver medal for his work entitled The Stag.
Infographic Credit: Akanksha Jhulka
6. Pusarla Venkata Sindhu – Indian badminton makes it big
Pusarla Venkata Sindhu or PV Sindhu became the first Indian badminton player to not only reach the finals in the 2016 Rio Olympics but also won the silver medal for the country.
- P.T.Usha – Payyoli Express
Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha or popularly known as P.T. Usha is an Indian track and field athlete who at the age of 16 years represented India in the 1980 Moscow Games. She dominated Asian track-and-field events for most of the 1980s.
8. Indian Hockey Team – The Golden Era
India’s hockey team is one of the most successful teams
in the Olympics. From 1928-1956, India’s men hockey team won 6 gold medals at the Olympics, scoring a total of 178 goals and conceding just seven.
9. Dipa Karmakar – India’s first woman gymnast
Dipa Karmakar finished fourth in women’s Vault Gymnastics event in Rio 2016. Dipa stunned the world with her performance because it was the first time that an Indian woman gymnast came so close to winning a medal.
10. Kabaddi – India’s entry
Kabaddi is no stranger at the Olympic stage. Kabaddi first received international exposure when India demonstrated the sport at the 1936 Olympics. Adolf Hitler was present to see the demonstration.
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