The Paris Olympics began with a spectacular opening ceremony, but for the Indian contingent, it ended on a bittersweet note. With a strong 117-member team, India had high hopes of surpassing the double-digit mark in the medal tally. However, the country finished with 6 medals—1 silver and 5 bronze. There’s a possibility of a 7th medal if the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) delivers a favourable verdict for wrestler Vinesh Phogat.
India’s medal journey began with shooter Manu Bhaker, who secured a bronze in the 10m air pistol event, narrowly missing a silver. She then teamed up with Sarabjot Singh to win another bronze in the mixed 10m air pistol event. In another shooting event, Swapnil Kusale brought home a bronze in the 50m rifle three positions event, marking a strong start for India in the first week.
Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who was expected to defend his gold, secured a silver with a throw of 89.45m. Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem broke the Olympic record with a 92.97m throw, shattering the hopes of millions of Indian fans. Nonetheless, Neeraj became the first Indian to win consecutive medals in athletics.
The Indian men’s hockey team had a rollercoaster journey, starting sluggishly but gaining momentum as the tournament progressed. They defeated Australia to reach the quarterfinals and then won a nail-biting match against Great Britain in a penalty shootout, thanks to the heroics of goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh. Although they lost to Germany in the semifinals, India bounced back to claim a bronze by defeating Spain, marking their second consecutive Olympic hockey medal. This was a fitting farewell for the retiring P.R. Sreejesh, and Harmanpreet Singh ended the tournament as the highest goal scorer with 10 goals.
Towards the end of the Games, Aman Sehrawat brought joy to Indian fans by clinching a bronze in the 57kg freestyle wrestling event, becoming the youngest Indian to win an Olympic medal.
Despite these successes, there were several heartbreaking moments for Indian fans. Manu Bhaker, who was on course for a hat-trick of medals, narrowly missed a bronze in the women’s 25m pistol event. Lakshya Sen’s loss in the bronze medal play-off was another major disappointment. After a strong start, he was defeated by Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia, despite leading in the second set. His loss was a huge blow to millions of Indian fans.
In shooting, Arjun Babuta lost the bronze medal by a whisker in the 10m men’s air rifle event, while the shooting duo of Maheshwari Chauhan and Anant Jeet Singh Naruka finished fourth in the skeet mixed team event, missing out on a medal by just one point.
In archery, Dhiraj Bommadevara and Ankita Bhakat missed out on a bronze in the mixed team event, joining the ranks of Indian legends like P.T. Usha and Milkha Singh, who also came agonizingly close to Olympic glory.
Mirabai Chanu’s courageous bid for a second consecutive Olympic medal ended in disappointment as she finished fourth in weightlifting, missing the podium by just 1kg.
Perhaps the most heartbreaking story was that of Vinesh Phogat. After a stellar performance that saw her defeat the defending Olympic champion, Vinesh’s dream of a gold medal was shattered when she failed to meet the weight requirement for the final. Despite her team’s desperate efforts, she was disqualified. Though she appealed to the CAS for at least a joint silver, the outcome is still pending. Her retirement announcement following the disqualification sent shockwaves across the nation, with millions of fans urging her to reconsider.
