11-Aug-2008 103
India made its debut in 1900 Paris Olympic Games at Paris in 1900. Since then, the country has won just 18 medals. Abhinav Bindra today created history by becoming the first Indian to win an individual gold medal in the quadrennial Games.
Bindra`s gold in the 10m air rifle event in Beijing is India`s 18th Olympic medal, including Norman Pritchard`s two silver medals in 200m sprint and 200m hurdles at Paris.
After 1900, India again participated in Olympics at Antwerp in 1920 with a two-member athletes team but won its first gold medal in hockey in the subsequent edition in Amsterdam in 1928 under the captaincy of Jaipal Singh and then defended their title in next five successive editions.
Indian hockey added two more gold to their illustrious record by winning in 1964 Tokyo Olympics and in 1980 in moscow. India also won a silver and two bronze medals in hockey and managed a bronze each in wrestling (Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav 1952 Helsinki) and shooting (Dr Karni Singh 1964 Tokyo) in various editions.
But after 1980, India`s National anthem was never played at Olympics till tennis star Leander Paes climbed the podium for winning the bronze in 1996 at Atlanta.
Weightlifter Karnam Malleswari became the first Indian women to win a an Olympic medal 2000 Sydney Games while shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore fetched the silver in Athens in 2004.
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