• Source:JND
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The Olympic Games are the pinnacle of sports. The mega event is considered as the highest sporting extravaganza that features several countries' participation.

Since Independence, India has emerged as a powerhouse in sports and carved a niche for itself with glorious achievements. There have been so many glorious moments in India's sports history that are worth remembering and will be remembered for a very long period of time.

Even if it's difficult to pick and choose between those memorable chapters, we have enlisted the five biggest moments for India in the Olympics.

 

1. First Olympic medal, London Olympics 1948

Just one year after independence, a major breakthrough for Indian sports came in the Olympics in 1948 when the hockey men’s team clinched gold in London. The nation that was still recovering from the wounds of the partition before 1947, it was a giant step forward towards becoming a strong country in the field of sports.

The final clash was played between India and Great Britain. Led by Captain Kishan Lal, the Indian team emerged victorious 4-0 margin and cherished the joy of getting India's tri-color unfurled on British soil.


2. First Indian women's Olympic Medal, Sydney Olympics 2000

India's Karnam Malleswari has brought many laurels to the country with her breathtaking performances. She created history when she won the Bronze at the 2000 Sydney Olympics in weightlifting.

Malleswari managed a great victory in the women’s 54 kg division as she was the first female medal winner in the Olympics. She had lifted 110kg in the snatch category and 130kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 240kg.


3. Abhinav Bindra's gold medal in shooting, Beijing Olympics 2008 

India's one of the most precious moments at the Olympics came in Beijing 2008 when Abhinav Bindra won a historic gold medal in the men’s 10m air rifle. The Indian shooter shot a near-perfect 10.8 with his final shot, ensuring India’s first individual Olympic gold medal.


4. Multiple medals in Tokyo Olympics 2020

Mirabai Chanu won the silver medal in the women's 49kg category and became the second Indian weightlifter after Karnam Malleswari to win an Olympic medal. It was India's first medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

Lovlina Borgohain won a bronze medal at Tokyo 2020 in the women’s 69kg after defeating Chinese Taipei’s Nien-Chin Chen in the quarter-finals

PV Sindhu became the first Indian woman and only the second Indian athlete - after Sushil Kumar - to win two individual Olympic medals. PV Sindhu beat China’s He Bing Jiao 21-13, 21-15 to win the bronze medal in the women’s singles.

Ravi Kumar Dahiya had assured himself of a silver medal in men’s 57kg freestyle wrestling when he beat Nurislam Sanayev of Kazakhstan in the semis.

After a 41-year wait, the Indian men’s hockey team won an Olympic medal since the gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. India made a big comeback to beat Germany 5-4 and claim the bronze medal.

Bajrang Punia became the third Indian debutant to win a medal at Tokyo 2020. Bajrang Punia beat Kazakhstan’s Daulet Niyazbekov in the men’s 65kg freestyle wrestling playoff to claim the bronze.

 

5. Neeraj Chopra's historic gold medal in Javelin Throw, Tokyo Olympics 2020

Neeraj Chopra became India’s second individual Olympic champion after Abhinav Bindra, with his men’s javelin throw gold at Tokyo 2020. It was India’s first track-and-field medal at any Olympic Games.