Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to social media to laud the performances of Indian athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“As the Paris Olympics conclude, I appreciate the efforts of the entire Indian contingent through the games. All the athletes have given their best and every Indian is proud of them. Wishing our sporting heroes the best for their upcoming endeavours, ” PM Modi posted on X, formerly Twitter.
As the Paris #Olympics conclude, I appreciate the efforts of the entire Indian contingent through the games. All the athletes have given their best and every Indian is proud of them. Wishing our sporting heroes the best for their upcoming endeavours.— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 11, 2024
India ended at 71st position with one silver and five bronze medals after a total of 117 Indian athletes participated across 16 sports at the Paris Games – archery, athletics, badminton, boxing, equestrian, golf, hockey, judo, rowing, sailing, shooting, swimming, wrestling, table tennis, and tennis.
Although hopes were high for a historic performance, the country fell just short of surpassing its previous best at the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics in 2021, when they secured seven medals (1 gold, 2 silver, and 4 bronze.) and ranked 48th.
ALSO READ | Manu Bhaker’s Double Bronze Headlines India’s 6-Medal Success in Paris, 6 Fall Just Short
Beyond the pursuit of medals, Indian athletes made history by setting new records at the Games along with some near misses on medals after finishing fourth in six events.
Pistol shooter Manu Bhaker became the first Indian woman to win a shooting medal at the Olympics. Moreover, she became the first Indian athlete in the post-Independence era to win multiple medals in a single edition of the Games.
Manu stormed into the final of the women’s 10m air pistol, becoming the first Indian woman since Athens 2004 to qualify for the Olympic finals in shooting. The following day, she won the bronze in the same and created history by becoming the first Indian woman to win an Olympic shooting medal.
Later, Manu, partnering with Sarabjot Singh, became the first Indian shooting pair to win an Olympic medal in shooting. Overall, it was India’s sixth Olympic medal in shooting.
When Swapnil Kusale clinched the bronze in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions on August 1, he secured India’s third shooting medal at the Paris Olympics, marking a historic achievement. This not only set a new record for India’s best-ever medal tally in a single sport at the Olympics but also earned the nation its first Olympic shooting medal in the 50m rifle 3 positions event.
The ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra produced his career’s second-best javelin throw at Paris 2024 with an effort of 89.45m but was beaten for gold by Arshad Nadeem, who achieved a new Olympic record of 92.97m.
Although it wasn’t gold, winning an Olympic silver medal was a significant achievement for the 26-year-old, as it marked only India’s second medal in athletics at the Summer Games — both secured by Neeraj.
In the process, he became the third two-time Olympic medallist from India after adding a silver to his Tokyo 2020 gold medal. Sushil Kumar, PV Sindhu are the other two-time athletes who won two Olympics in successive editions.
When India beat Tokyo Olympics silver medallists Australia 3-2 in a group game at the Paris 2024 Olympics, it marked their first win over the Aussies in the Games since 1972.
India, the bronze medalists in hockey at Tokyo, achieved back-to-back Olympic podium finishes for the first time in 52 years, since the Munich 1972 Games, by rallying from a goal down to defeat Spain 2-1 in the bronze medal playoff.
This victory at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium also secured India’s record-extending 13th Olympic hockey medal.
Wrestler Aman Sehrawat became the youngest ever individual Olympic medallist from India at 21 years, 0 months, and 24 days after he secured the bronze medal in 57kg men’s freestyle wrestling. He bettered shuttler PV Sindhu’s record, who was 21 years 1 month and 14 days old when she won silver at the Rio Olympics 2016.
(With inputs from Agencies)
Catch Paris Olympics 2024 Day 13 LIVE Updates Here. Stay updated with the latest from Olympics 2024. Explore India At Paris Olympics 2024 Today. Check the updated list of Paris Olympics 2024 Medal Tally. Check Paris Olympics 2024 Event Results.