india glory at olympics

The Olympics are among the greatest sporting events across the world, and all the best athletes from across the globe gather to compete and test the human body for its ultimate endurance, skillfulness, and passion. For India, its Olympics journey has been a bundle of mixed fortunes. While India has not arrived at the Olympics with a bang, its performance has slowly been on the rise with few athletes from the nation producing iconic moments, which will be etched in the memory for time immemorial.

The very first exposure of India to the Olympics was in 1900, where a solitary athlete represented British India. Interestingly, Pritchard turned out to be quite good and won two silvers in athletics ? in the 200 meters and the 200 meters hurdles. For a country that was just entering such international platforms, this was a rather astonishing feat. However, for many years after that, India struggled to make a telling contribution at the global stage.

But everything began to change in 1928, when India debuted at the Olympic Games for hockey. This was the turning point.

The Hockey Era: Dominating the World

From 1928 to 1956, the Indian hockey team could be called nothing less than a powerhouse. They bagged six consecutive gold medals in hockey, stamping their authority as the champions in the game. Legends like Dhyan Chand, quite often referred to as the "Wizard of Hockey," became global sensations. The dribble, the speed, and the art of firing goals made onlookers and opponents dumb in tribute. The supremacy of the Indian hockey team went on to be a matter of great pride for the country at the international level at a time when India was still finding her feet post-independence.

However, resolve pushed them through, and they kept overcoming all the odds to the pinnacle of world hockey until a few decades back. Later, other nations latched on really quickly, and gradually the golden touch of India's hockey started to wane. The final gold medal last time around dangled along in 1980 when the Moscow Olympics were held. From that day on, journeying became a tough nut to crack with bumpy rides on the face of Indian hockey.

The hockey dominance was followed; thereafter, India was in a tight corner. It was pretty evident that the country needed to do well in other sports if it wanted to excel at the Olympics. However, medals were hard to come by. The lack of infrastructure, proper training facilities, and adequate support had Indian athletes playing catch-up.

But among all the trials, a few stars began to emerge.

Leander Paes: The Tennis Sensation

One of the brightest stars in the 1990s was Leander Paes. Paes helped in bringing to an end an Indian individual Olympic medal drought last week in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games with a bronze in tennis. His was a major fillip to the Indian sports scene, and Paes almost became a household name in one day. That never-say-die attitude on court and infectious enthusiasm made him an instant favorite. Paes' victory also opened up new avenues for Indian sportspersons in sports that were not traditionally India's forte.

Karnam Malleswari: Lifting India's Hopes

It was at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 that India's first-ever woman Olympic medalist was born. Weightlifter Karnam Malleswari etched her name in history by winning a bronze medal in the 69kg category. Her achievement was colossal, not because it was a medal but because it was a throw of opportunity to signify the rise of an Indian woman in the Olympics. Malleswari's victory brought hope to millions of young girls in India who now wished to participate and win in the world's most significant sporting event.

The Precision of a Shooter: Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore

One of the most significant moments came in 2004 when Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore captured India's first individual silver medal in shooting at the Athens Olympics. He had a spectacular performance in the double trap event and his chilled-out and cool approach in the pressure is one of the criteria which made him a star overnight all over India. Rathore popularized shooting as a sport in India, and within no time, several budding youngsters wanted to emulate and make sure the country gets its individuals and teams win a medal in the shooting event.

Beijing 2008: A New Dawn

"The 2008 Beijing Olympic was a defining moment in history for India in many ways; it made Abhinav Bindra the first individual gold medalist from India. The event was the 10m air rifle. His medal was historical. It was not the medal but the way he showed that Indians can perform at the highest level and win, which caught everybody's attention.

Bindra's victory was followed by two more at the Beijing Games. Sushil Kumar brought home wrestling bronze in the 66kg freestyle category, and Vijender Singh won a boxing bronze in the middleweight division. Something had changed with the Indian Olympic fortune; a country that just used to participate was now starting to compete and win.

London 2012: Britain's Best Olympic Haul

If Beijing was a turning point, the London 2012 Olympics was India's best performance at that time. India bagged six medals ? two silver and four bronze. Sushil Kumar, who had won a bronze in 2008, upgraded it to silver in 2012. Mary Kom, the legendary boxer, won a bronze in the women's flyweight category and became an inspiration for athletes, especially women, all over India.

Gagan Narang bagged home a bronze in shooting, and Vijay Kumar's outstanding performance added a silver in the 25m rapid fire pistol event. Badminton sensation Saina Nehwal also gave her quota of a bronze, and wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt made it another bronze. London 2012 was a proof that India was making its mark on the Olympic stage, however slow and gradual.

Rio 2016: A Tough Ride but with Bright Spots

The Rio Olympics in 2016 was a mixed bag for India. Expectations were high after the success in London, but the country managed to win only two medals. Sakshi Malik became the first Indian woman wrestler to win an Olympic medal when she secured a bronze in the 58kg freestyle category. But perhaps the biggest star to emerge from Rio was PV Sindhu. This never-say-die badminton player was denied a gold when she managed a silver in the women's singles, missing the gold by a whisker. The performance turned her into a national icon, and Sindhu became the beacon of hope for what the future of Indian sports might be.

From Tripura, the gymnast Dipa Karmakar also hit the headlines. Though she didn't win a medal, the fourth position she managed to grab in the women's vault final was historic. She was the first Indian gymnast who had ever qualified for an Olympic final, and her performance won hearts across the world.

Tokyo 2020: A Moment of Glory

While held in 2021 because of the pandemic, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics turned out to be perhaps India's most successful Olympics ever. India took home a total of seven medals: one gold, two silver, and four bronze. It was almost a cuckoo moment of joy for the country, more specifically because the athletes showed amazing resilience in the face of the odds presented by the global pandemic.

It was Neeraj Chopra's gold in javelin throw that really was a bright moment at the Tokyo Olympics. Chopra sealed India's first-ever Olympic gold in athletics. The victory was sealed with 87.58, and Neeraj became an overnight hero to the country.

Other notable shows were the silver won by Mirabai Chanu in weightlifting, Ravi Kumar Dahiya in wrestling, and PV Sindhu in badminton. Lovlina Borgohain brought home a bronze in women's boxing, while wrestler Bajrang Punia won a bronze medal as well.

After several decades of disappointment, the Indian men's hockey team finally won the bronze medal in Tokyo. It was truly a defining moment, for that meant an end to the drought of an Olympic medal in hockey since 1980.

The Future: Bright and Promising

India's performance at the Olympics has surely come a long way since those early days of struggle. Of course, the country still has a long way to go before taking on sporting giants like the USA, China, or Russia. Yet the signs are really promising; it has shown what India is capable of, and with better infrastructural support and facilities for training, there is no reason India cannot continue to improve upon its medal tally in times to come.

Be it Neeraj Chopra, PV Sindhu, or Lovlina Borgohain, the new breed of young athletes, coupled with a refurbished sentiment towards sports other than cricket, does augur well for the future of Indian sports. India has always had the talent; it is now about refining it and providing the right platform for athletes to succeed on the world stage.

Well, India's Olympic journey has been one of perseverance, resilience, and gradual improvement. Be it from the times when hockey was ruling the roost to now, when independent sporting icons shine like beacons, evidence exists that the country can glow. And with each succeeding Olympics, this belief only seems to get stronger.

Who knows? Perhaps a few years down the line, we shall still be talking about India as a born-again sporting superpower. Wouldn't that be something?