India’s Olympic heroes: from Dhyan Chand to Neeraj Chopra

For a country of India’s size, Olympic success has come slowly. Yet the medals it has won tell a fascinating story — of a hockey dynasty, of heartbreaking fourth places, and of a recent surge built on better training, funding and belief. Here are the athletes who wrote that story.

The hockey dynasty

India’s Olympic history begins with hockey. Led by Dhyan Chand, India won gold at Amsterdam in 1928, Los Angeles in 1932 and Berlin in 1936, where it beat the hosts Germany 8–1 in the final. Dhyan Chand’s ball control was so remarkable that stories spread about magnets in his stick. India won eight Olympic hockey golds in all, the last in 1980. Today India’s National Sports Day is held on his birthday.

After decades of decline, Indian hockey returned to the podium with bronze medals at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. Goalkeeper P. R. Sreejesh was central to both, and retired after Paris as one of the most decorated players in modern Indian hockey.

The near-misses

For many years, India’s most famous Olympic stories were about medals that got away. Milkha Singh finished fourth in the 400 metres at Rome in 1960, a race he never forgot. P. T. Usha missed bronze in the 400 metres hurdles at Los Angeles in 1984 by one-hundredth of a second. Much later, gymnast Dipa Karmakar finished fourth in the vault at Rio 2016, landing the dangerous Produnova vault. These near-misses became part of India’s sporting folklore — and motivation for those who followed.

The first individual golds

India waited until 2008 for its first individual Olympic gold. In Beijing, shooter Abhinav Bindra won the 10 metre air rifle with a near-perfect final shot. Thirteen years later, at Tokyo, javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra won India’s first Olympic gold in athletics, then added silver at Paris 2024. His success made the javelin one of the most popular events in Indian schools.

The women who changed the medal table

Some of India’s most important Olympic medals have been won by women. Boxer Mary Kom won bronze at London 2012 after five world titles. Badminton player Saina Nehwal won India’s first badminton medal at the same Games. P. V. Sindhu then became the first Indian woman to win two individual Olympic medals, silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at Tokyo 2020. Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu won silver on the first day of the Tokyo Games, and boxer Lovlina Borgohain took bronze there too.

What changed

Why has India won more medals in the last two decades than in the previous fifty years? Several factors stand out: private foundations that support athletes, government schemes that pay for foreign coaches and competitions, and sports academies such as Pullela Gopichand’s in Hyderabad. Just as important is belief. Each medal makes the next one feel more possible.

Looking ahead

India has said it hopes to host the Olympic Games in the future. Whether or not that happens, the athletes above have already changed how the country sees itself in sport. Dhyan Chand proved Indians could rule the world in a team game; Bindra and Chopra proved they could do it alone.