India has won a total of 35 medals in the history of the Olympics – 10 Gold, 9 Silver and 16 bronze.
After World War II, the Indian men’s hockey team added three more gold medals as well as one silver and two bronze medals to India’s tally. Wrestler KD Jadhav won India’s first individual medal – a bronze – post-independence as weightlifter Karnam Malleswari became India’s first female medalist.
India at Olympics – New India
1952 – Helsinki – Men’s Hockey Team – Gold – Field Hockey
Balbir Singh Senior’s genius helped the Indian hockey team overcome some infighting, drop in form and the elements to land their fifth straight Olympic gold. . They reigned supreme over the Netherlands in the final Balbir Singh Sr. scored five goals on the day, a record in the final of a men’s Olympic field hockey tournament that stands to this day, and captain KD Singh Babu put his name on the scoresheet too.
1952 – Helsinki – Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav – Bronze – Wrestling
For nearly half a century he was India’s forgotten hero, but in 1952 Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav was a national icon. At the Helsinki Games, the ‘Pocket Dynamo’ became independent India’s first individual Olympic medallist when he won the freestyle wrestling bronze medal (bantamweight category).Though the men’s hockey team also returned with a gold medal, the star of the Indian contingent was Jadhav.
1956 – Melbourne – Men’s Hockey Team – Gold – Field Hockey
The discerning reckon the hockey team to the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, led by centre-forward Balbir Singh, was one of the best ever to leave Indian shores. For India, the league phase was a relatively easy affair as they hammered Afghanistan 14-0, the United States 16-0 and Singapore 6-0, but they lost skipper Balbir Singh, who suffered a fractured finger in the first game. India won 1-0 against Germany in the semifinals. Randhir Singh Gentle converted a second-half short corner for India who beat Pakistan 1-0 in the final.
1960 – Rome – Men’s Hockey Team – Silver – Field Hockey
Having dominated the world since 1928, the Indian hockey team fell short of another Olympic gold, losing to arch-rivals Pakistan in the final at the Rome Games.Captained by the veteran half-back Leslie Claudius in his fourth Olympics, the most by an Indian then — boasted of a quality mix of youth and experience. India beat Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand by convincing margins to move into the quarter-finals. The team, however, looked scratchy. This despite a dominant 10-0 win over Denmark and conceding just a solitary goal in the group stages.
1964 – Tokyo – Men’s Hockey Team – Gold – Field Hockey
The gold in the Japanese capital was India’s seventh in the quadrennial event with the last one coming in 1980 at Moscow, ending the fondly missed ‘golden era’ for the sport in the country.Determined to regain its lost crown, the Indian hockey team did everything to ensure that the Olympic title returned home four years later. This period also saw hockey in India evolve. They ditched their skilful artistry with the stick and banked on a more physical game while relying on short corners for the bulk of their goals.Led by captain Charanjit Singh, India won 2-0 against Belgium in the opening group match and it was followed by their first-ever draw at the Olympic Games.India played nine matches – winning seven and drawing two – in just 12 days and celebrated with a traditional bhangra dance once they had sealed the gold medal.
1968 – Mexico City – Men’s Hockey Team – Bronze – Field Hockey
With Gurbux Singh leading India for the majority of the Olympic cycle, the team was divided following the national federation’s decision to snub the full-back just ahead of the Games.The Pakistan-born Gurbux Singh didn’t sit quietly and made his disappointment public. This forced IHF to name joint-captains for the Olympics for the first time in the team’s history. The weakness in the Indian team was thoroughly exploited by Australia in the semi-final. Having played India in the past, the Aussies tweaked their gameplan to frustrate the Indian hockey team and force them into making mistakes. Hurt by their semi-final loss, the Indian hockey team came out roaring in the play-off to beat West Germany 2-1 to return home with the bronze medal.
1972 – Munich – Men’s Hockey Team – Bronze – Field Hockey
The Indian hockey team to the Munich Olympics sported a new look with only four players from the 1968 edition making the cut. Making his Olympic debut was Ashok Kumar, son of legendary Dhyan Chand and also the fiery forward B.P. Govinda, who went on to become an iconic figure with the distinctive head band. For India, it was another disappointing outing despite a strong showing in the league phase when they won five and drew two matches to qualify for the semifinals. However, India went down to their old foes Pakistan 0-2, but scrambled to a 2-1 win against Holland in the playoff to pick up the bronze medal for the second Olympics in a row.
1980 – Moscow – Men’s Hockey Team – Gold – Field Hockey
After a tumultuous period following the hockey debacle at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, India fielded a relatively young but talented side for the Moscow Games, where barring skipper Vasudevan Baskaran and goalkeeper Bir Bahadur Chhetri, the rest made their debut. It was not all smooth sailing for the Indians who drew 2-2 with both Poland and Spain in the league phase while trouncing a weak Tanzania 18-0, Cuba 13-0 and Russia 4-2 to qualify for the final. India had to work hard for the gold as Spain put up a fighting performance
1996 – Atlanta – Leander Paes – Bronze – Tennis
Leander Paes made history roughly 25 years ago when he won an Olympic medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, which would go on to be the most significant achievement of his illustrious career. A 22-year-old Leander Paes went on a “magical, mystical” journey in the city of Georgia, USA to write one of the most prominent chapters of India’s Olympic history. Paes had prepared for Atlanta with a horse-like vision, taking a vacation from the Pro Tour to play in a tournament with an altitude similar to the circumstances he would face in Stone Mountain. However, when he reached for the Olympics, he was drawn against Pete Sampras, the legend who was at his peak then. Paes began his Olympic voyage with a loss to Reneberg in the first round, but went on to win eight straight sets to get to the semi-finals against another superstar, Andre Agassi. He lost to Agassi 7-6, 6-3 but the journey got tougher from there. Paes’ wrist tendons burst during the semi-final, and he was forced to wear a hard cast for the next 24 hours. Playing for Fernando Meligeni for bronze, Paes won 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.
2000 – Sydney – Karnam Malleswari – Bronze – Weightlifting
Karnam Malleswari became the first Indian female to win an Olympic medal in the history of the quadrennial event. At the Sydney 2000 Olympics, after lifting 110 kg and 130 kg in the ‘snatch’ and ‘clean and jerk’ categories respectively to total 240kg, Malleswari won a prestigious Olympic bronze medal. The historic achievement made her an instant household name and the masses named her ‘The Iron Lady’.
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