Indian Olympic medal winners: A comprehensive list
India has won 41 medals at the Olympics since the 1900 edition. Here’s a brief about each of the Indian Olympic winners.
A two-medal haul on their debut kick-started India’s campaign at the Olympics. India has since won 41 medals across 25 Olympic Games - including golds, silvers and bronze.
Here’s a run-through of all the medals India has won at the Olympics.
Indian Olympic winners name list
Norman Pritchard - silver medal - men’s 200m hurdles - Paris 1900
India started their maiden Olympic stint with Norman Pritchard at the 1900 Paris Olympics. The first Indian representative in the modern Olympics won the country’s first-ever medal (pre-independence) in the men’s 200m hurdles.
Norman Pritchard set a then Olympic record 26.8 seconds in the semi-finals. In the final, USA’s Alvin Kraenzlein ran a new Olympic record of 25.4 seconds to win the gold while Norman Pritchard won silver with a timing of 26 seconds.
Norman Pritchard - silver medal - men’s 200m - Paris 1900
Norman Pritchard earned a second Olympic medal, winning silver in the men’s 200m sprint at Paris 1900.
He finished second in the semi-finals to qualify for the final, where Walter Tewksbury of the USA won gold, clocking 22.2 seconds. Norman Pritchard came home in second place to take silver in 22.8 seconds.
Indian hockey men’s team, gold medal - Amsterdam 1928
The Indian hockey team scored 29 goals without reply in five matches to win its first Olympic gold medal. The wizard Dhyan Chand scored 14 goals, including a hat-trick in the final against the Netherlands. This was Indian hockey’s first medal at the Olympics.
Indian hockey men’s team, gold medal - Los Angeles 1932
In a reduced field, the Indian hockey team first beat Japan 11-1. A 10-goal charge from Roop Singh, Dhyan Chand’s younger brother, and eight goals from the wizard himself secured a massive 24-1 win against the USA and ensured a second-consecutive Olympic gold medal.
Indian hockey men’s team, gold medal - Berlin 1936
With Dhyan Chand as captain, the Indian hockey team completed a hat-trick of Olympic golds at Berlin 1936. This time, India scored 38 goals in five matches and only conceded one in the final against Germany as Dhyan Chand’s second hat-trick in Olympic finals took them to an 8-1 victory.
Indian hockey men’s team, gold medal - London 1948
The first gold medal for India post-independence unsurprisingly came from the Indian hockey team as they regained their position atop the Olympic podium at London 1948. A new star emerged in Balbir Singh Sr as India romped to the semi-finals with 19 goals in three matches. India beat the Netherlands 2-1 in the semis. In the final, Balbir Singh’s brace helped India beat hosts Great Britain 4-0 and win a fourth Olympic gold.
Indian hockey men’s team, gold medal - Helsinki 1952
The Indian hockey team overcame the midnight sun and cold conditions to win their fifth-consecutive Olympic gold medal. Balbir Singh Sr scored nine goals in three matches, including five in the final against the Netherlands - a record for the most goals by an individual in an Olympic men’s hockey final.
KD Jadhav, bronze medal - men’s bantamweight wrestling - Helsinki 1952
Wrestler Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav became India’s first individual Olympic medallist with his bronze in the men's freestyle bantamweight category. It was just reward for the hardworking wrestler, who had to run from pillar to post to gather funds for his Olympic trip and proved his mettle on the biggest stage.
Indian hockey men’s team, gold medal - Melbourne 1956
It was six Olympic golds in a row for the Indian hockey team at Melbourne 1956. India did not concede a single goal in the entire tournament and skipper Balbir Singh Sr. played with a fracture in his right hand in the final as India beat neighbours Pakistan 1-0 in the final.
Indian hockey men’s team, silver medal - Rome 1960
India’s unparalleled gold streak in hockey came to an end at Rome 1960 as the side lost to Pakistan 1-0 in the final and had to settle for a silver medal.
Indian hockey men’s team, gold medal - Tokyo 1964
The Indian hockey team soon returned to the Olympic summit as they won gold at Tokyo 1964. India recorded four wins and two draws in the group stages and beat Australia in the semis. They faced Pakistan in the final for the third consecutive time and beat them 1-0, courtesy a penalty stroke goal.
Indian hockey men’s team, bronze medal - Mexico City 1968
With hockey gaining further prominence in Europe, the Indian hockey team was slowly losing its foothold and the bronze at Mexico 1968 was the first indication. India beat Mexico, Spain and got a walkover against Japan but were beaten 2-1 in the semi-finals by Australia. India defeated West Germany 2-1 to win the bronze medal, finishing outside the top two for the first time at the Olympics.
Indian hockey men’s team, bronze medal - Munich 1972
A second-consecutive Olympic bronze medal arrived for the Indian hockey team at Munich 1972. India won four matches and drew two before the semi-finals against Pakistan. The attack on the Israeli team then caused their semi-final to be pushed forward by two days and it affected the team’s rhythm as they lost 2-0 to Pakistan. However, they regrouped to beat the Netherlands 2-1 and clinched bronze.
Indian hockey men’s team, gold medal - Moscow 1980
A disappointing seventh-place finish at Montreal 1976 - then the Indian hockey team’s lowest at an Olympics - galvanised the team for Moscow 1980. In a reduced field, India won three and drew two matches in the preliminary rounds. In the final, the Indian team beat Spain 4-3 to win the gold medal. It remains the last hockey gold for India at the Olympics.
Leander Paes, bronze medal - men’s singles tennis - Atlanta 1996
India had gone without a medal for three straight editions before a young Leander Paes got them to winning ways in 1996 with a bronze. After losing to Andre Agassi in the semi-final, Paes went on to beat Fernando Meligani in the bronze medal match.
Karnam Malleswari, bronze medal - women’s 54kg weightlifting - Sydney 2000
Weightlifter Karnam Malleswari clinched the bronze medal in the 54kg category, becoming the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal. She had lifted 110kg in the snatch category and 130kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 240kg.
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, silver medal - men’s double trap shooting - Athens 2004
Armyman Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore was the first shooter to win an Olympic medal for India. UAE’s Shaikh Ahmed Almaktoum surged into an unassailable lead and it came down to Rathore to shoot both his flying clay targets with his final attempt in the men’s double trap. The army colonel accurately down both and ensured India's first individual silver medal at the Games.
Abhinav Bindra, gold medal - men’s 10m air rifle shooting - Beijing 2008
India’s most euphoric moment at the Olympics came at 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.
Vijender Singh, bronze medal - men’s middleweight boxing - Beijing 2008
Vijender Singh became the first Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal. The man from Haryana defeated southpaw Carlos Góngora of Ecuador 9–4 in the quarter-final to guarantee a bronze medal before he lost 5–8 to Cuba's Emilio Correa in the semis.
Sushil Kumar, bronze medal - men’s 66kg wrestling - Beijing 2008
After losing his opening bout, Sushil Kumar went on to win three bouts in the repechage round within 70 minutes to clinch the bronze medal. It was India’s first Olympic medal in wrestling after 56 years.
Gagan Narang, bronze medal - men’s 10m air rifle shooting - London 2012
After narrowly missing out on the final round in the previous Olympics due to countback, Gagan Narang won the bronze medal in the men’s 10m air rifle at London 2012. With the world’s eyes trained on him, Gagan Narang played out a tense final with China’s Wang Tao and Nicolo Campriani of Italy before ending in third place.
Sushil Kumar, silver medal - men’s 66kg wrestling - London 2012
India’s flag-bearer for the opening ceremony, Sushil Kumar was India’s biggest medal hope in 2012. He overcame severe body aches to make his run to the final before his body finally gave up due to exhaustion. Sushil Kumar lost to Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu in the final and ended up with silver, becoming India’s first individual two-time Olympic medallist.
Vijay Kumar, silver medal - men’s 25m rapid pistol shooting - London 2012
Barely known before the Games, shooter Vijay Kumar ensured his name in the record books with a silver medal in the 25m rapid pistol. Tied with China’s Ding Feng going into the sixth round in the final, Vijay Kumar outshot Feng to head into the last round. However, Cuba’s Leuris Pupo proved a step too far as Vijay Kumar settled for silver.
Mary Kom, bronze medal - women’s flyweight boxing - London 2012
A legend even before her maiden Olympics at London 2012, Mary Kom commemorated the first edition of women’s boxing at the Games with a bronze in the flyweight category. The Manipur-born boxer was on a fine run before being halted by eventual champion Nicola Adams of Great Britain in the semis.
Yogeshwar Dutt, bronze medal - men’s 60kg wrestling - London 2012
A veteran of three Olympics by London 2012, wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt finally achieved his childhood dream when he won bronze in the 60kg category. He defeated North Korea’s Ri Jong Myong in the last repechage round in just 1:02 minutes.
Saina Nehwal, bronze medal - women’s singles badminton - London 2012
Saina Nehwal became the first Indian badminton player to win an Olympic medal when her opponent, China's Wang Xin, was forced to retire hurt during the bronze medal play-off.
PV Sindhu, silver medal - women’s singles badminton - Rio 2016
Saina Nehwal’s feat surely propelled India’s badminton story - as PV Sindhu went one step ahead by reaching the final of the 2016 Summer Olympics before losing to Spain’s Carolina Marin in a feisty, 83-minute duel.
Sakshi Malik, bronze medal - women’s 58kg wrestling - Rio 2016
A late entrant to India’s Olympic contingent, Sakshi Malik became the first female Indian wrestler to win an Olympic medal. She beat Kyrgyzstan’s Aisuluu Tynybekova 8-5 to win the 58kg bronze and ensured India had won an Olympic wrestling medal in three consecutive Games.
Mirabai Chanu, silver medal - women's 49kg weightlifting - Tokyo 2020
Ace weightlifter Mirabai Chanu put behind the disappointment of Rio 2016 to lift a total of 202kg to win the silver medal in the women's 49kg category. It is her first Olympic medal and made her the second Indian weightlifter after Karnam Malleswari to win an Olympic medal. It was India's first medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Lovlina Borgohain, bronze medal - women’s welterweight (64-69kg) - Tokyo 2020
On her Games debut, Lovlina Borgohain won a bronze medal at Tokyo 2020 after losing in the semi-finals to top seed Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey in the women’s 69kg. Lovlina Borgohain had beaten Chinese Taipei’s Nien-Chin Chen in the quarter-finals to assure herself of a medal.
PV Sindhu, bronze medal - women’s singles badminton - Tokyo 2020
Badminton queen 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, silver medal - men’s 57kg freestyle wrestling - Tokyo 2020
Ravi Kumar Dahiya lost to two-time world champion Zavur Uguev of ROC in the final of the men’s 57kg freestyle wrestling, thus ending up with a silver medal. Ravi Kumar Dahiya had assured himself of an Olympic medal when he beat Nurislam Sanayev of Kazakhstan in the semis. He was trailing 2-9 at one stage before making a stirring comeback to earn the medal.
Indian hockey team, bronze medal - men’s hockey - Tokyo 2020
After a 41-year wait, the Indian men’s hockey team won an Olympic medal since the gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. After being 3-1 down at one point, India made a big comeback to beat Germany 5-4 and claim the bronze medal. It was Indian hockey's third Olympic bronze medal - after the 1968 and 1972 Games - and their 12th Olympic medal overall.
Bajrang Punia, bronze medal - men’s 65kg wrestling - Tokyo 2020
Wrestler 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. It was India’s sixth medal of the Tokyo Olympics.
Neeraj Chopra - gold medal - men’s javelin throw athletics - Tokyo 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. The medal was India’s seventh at Tokyo 2020 - making it their best-ever haul at a single edition of the Olympics. Neeraj Chopra threw 87.58m to clinch the top spot.
Manu Bhaker - bronze medal - women’s 10m air pistol shooting - Paris 2024
Manu Bhaker won India's first medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics with a bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol shooting event. She thus became the first Indian woman to win a medal in Olympic shooting. A day earlier, she had become the first Indian woman to qualify for an Olympic shooting final in 20 years. In the final, she finished behind the Republic of Korea's pair of Oh Ye Jin and Kim Yeji.
Manu Bhaker/Sarabjot Singh - bronze medal - mixed team 10m air pistol shooting - Paris 2024
Manu Bhaker created another piece of history at the Paris 2024 Summer Games after she became the first athlete from independent India to win two medals at a single edition of the Olympics. Days after she won a bronze in the women's individual event, she combined with Sarabjot Singh to clinch a bronze in the mixed team 10m air pistol event. The duo defeated the South Koreans for the team medal, a first for Indian shooting at the Games.
Swapnil Kusale - bronze medal - men’s 10m 50m rifle 3 positions shooting - Paris 2024
Swapnil Kusale won India's third medal at Paris 2024 - the most in shooting for the country in a single edition at the Olympics - when he picked up a bronze in the men’s 10m 50m rifle 3 positions event. The three medals eclipsed the two won in shooting at London 2012. It was, however, the first in the 50m rifle 3P event at the Olympics.
Indian hockey team, bronze medal - men’s hockey - Paris 2024
The Indian men’s hockey team won its second successive medal in the Olympics after beating Spain 2-1 in the bronze medal match. It was Indian hockey’s fourth Olympic bronze medal - after the 1968, 1972 and 2020 Games - and their 13th Olympic medal overall. Captain Harmanpreet Singh was the star for India in Paris with 10 goals.
Neeraj Chopra - silver medal - men’s javelin throw athletics - Paris 2024
Neeraj Chopra failed to defend his men's javelin throw crown at Paris 2024 but a best throw of 89.45m saw him take silver behind Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, who won the gold with an Olympic record-setting mark of 92.97m. Nevertheless, it made Neeraj the most successful individual Olympian from India.
Aman Sehrawat - bronze medal - men’s 57kg freestyle wrestling - Paris 2024
Aman Sehrawat won India's second successive Olympic medal in the men’s 57kg freestyle wrestling event at Paris 2024. This time, however, it was a bronze through Aman Sehrawat. The Indian wrestler beat Darian Cruz of Puerto Rico 13-5 in the bronze match. Earlier, Aman had an impressive run until the semi-finals, which included a win over former world champion Zelimkhan Abakarov of Albania.