Team India's Mixed Fortunes at Paris Olympics 2024

Team India concluded their Paris Olympics campaign with six medals, including one silver and five bronze. Despite sending 117 athletes, India ranked 71st overall. Highlights included Manu Bhaker's dual bronze in shooting and Neeraj Chopra's silver in javelin. However, six potential medals slipped through narrowly.

Team India wrapped up their Paris Olympics 2024 campaign with a tally of six medals: one silver and five bronze. Despite a robust contingent of 117 athletes competing in various events, India finished in the 71st position on the medals table. Meanwhile, the United States clinched the top spot with a total of 126 medals.

The highlight of India's performance came from shooter Manu Bhaker, who not only opened India's medal tally with a bronze but also made history by becoming the first Indian woman to win an Olympic shooting medal. Bhaker went on to secure another bronze in the mixed team 10m air pistol event with Sarabjot Singh, making her the first Indian to bag two medals in a single Olympics. Shooter Swapnil Kusale also added a bronze to India's tally.

The Indian men's hockey team continued their impressive performance by matching their Tokyo Olympics feat with another bronze medal. Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra added to his accolades by winning a silver, becoming India's most successful individual Olympian. Wrestler Aman Sehrawat became the nation's youngest Olympic medallist, capturing a bronze in wrestling.

However, the campaign was marred by near-miss heartbreaks as India narrowly missed out on six medals. Athletes like Lakshya Sen, Mirabai Chanu, and Manu Bhaker finished fourth in their respective events. Vinesh Phogat's disqualification ahead of a historic final added to the collective disappointment. Indian athletes competed in 69 medal events across 16 sports, including archery, athletics, badminton, and boxing.

Historically, India has won a total of 41 Olympic medals. The journey began in the 1900 Paris Olympics with Norman Pritchard's two silver medals. Independent India's first Olympic medal came through wrestler KD Jadhav in 1952, and weightlifter Karnam Malleswari became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in Sydney 2000.