Tokyo Olympics 2021 has proved to be the most successful for the Indian contingent. Celebrations erupted across the country after Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian to win a historic Olympic gold medal in athletics (javelin throw). With this glorious gold medal, India has now won 7 medals at the Tokyo Olympics - one gold, two silver, and four bronze, its biggest Olympic haul ever.India had won six medals at the 2012 London Olympics. From PV Sindhu’s groundbreaking smashes to Indian Hockey Team’s mind-blowing drifts, every single droplet of sweat of Indian champions at the Olympics came together to make Tiranga fly high on the international stage. Here is the list of all 7 medals that the Indian contingent won at Tokyo Olympics.
1. Lovlina Borgohain - Bronze medal - women’s welterweight (64-69kg): On the very debut game of Lovlina Borgohain she garnered a bronze medal for the nation after losing to the world’s greatest seed, Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey in the women’s 69kg. She made India proud by beating Chinese Taipei’s Nien-Chin Chen in the quarter-finals to assure herself of a medal.
2. PV Sindhu - Bronze medal - women’s singles badminton: Sindhu is one of the greatest shuttlers India has ever produced. At the Tokyo Olympics, PV Sindhu became the first Indian woman and only the second Indian athlete - after Sushil Kumar - to win two individual Olympic medals. She took down China’s He Bing Jiao 21-13, 21-15 to win the bronze medal in the women’s singles.
3. Indian hockey team - Bronze medal - men’s hockey: The end of 41 years drought. After a long 41 years, the Indian men’s hockey team finally earned 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.
4. Bajrang Punia - Bronze medal - men’s 65kg wrestling: Another debutant and another medal for India. Two-time Asian champion Bajrang Punia beat Kazakhstan’s Daulet Niyazbekov, a World Championships silver medallist, in the men’s 65kg freestyle wrestling playoff to claim the bronze medal.
5. Mirabai Chanu - Silver Medal – Women’s weightlifting (49 kg): India’s medal account opened up with Mirabai Chanu’s Silver Medal in the women’s 49kg - her first medal at the Olympics. It was India’s second weightlifting Olympic medal, after Karnam Malleswari’s bronze at Sydney 2000. Mirabai Chanu has won the World Championships and multiple medals at the Commonwealth Games.
6. Ravi Kumar Dahiya - Silver medal - men’s 57kg freestyle wrestling: This Olympics was all about India’s young debutants that made others knee down. The 23-year-old Ravi Kumar Dahiya lost to twice world champion Zavur Uguev of ROC in the final of the men’s 57kg freestyle wrestling, thus ending up with a silver medal. Dahiya had assured himself of an Olympic medal when he beat Nurislam Sanayev of Kazakhstan in the semis.
7. Neeraj Chopra - Gold medal - men’s javelin throw: Subedar Neeraj Chopra created history on August 7 when he won India's first Gold Medal at Tokyo Olympics. 23-year-old Neeraj, the javelin thrower, is the second Indian after Abhinav Bindra to win any individual Gold medal at Olympics. He is the first Indian to win a Gold medal in athletics at Olympics.
