Manu’s legacy to Neeraj’s 2nd medal: All records India scripted at Paris 2024

India’s journey at the Paris 2024 Olympics was bitter-sweet. There were plenty of moments of “we are so close to a medal” and numerous moments of unprecedented joy Indian athletes brought to the country. While the campaign might not have been India’s best, there were some record-breaking and record-setting performances.
In shooting, Manu Bhaker made history by becoming the first Indian woman to win an Olympic shooting medal, securing a bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol event. Her journey didn’t stop there; Bhaker, alongside Sarabjot Singh, went on to win India’s first-ever team medal in shooting, claiming bronze in the 10m air pistol mixed team event. This feat also made Bhaker the first athlete from independent India to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics, a distinction previously held only by Norman Pritchard at the Paris 1900 Games.
In hockey, the Indian men’s team secured back-to-back Olympic medals for the first time in 52 years by winning bronze at Paris 2024. They defeated Spain 2-1, coming from behind to claim victory. This win added to their bronze from Tokyo 2020, bringing India’s total Olympic hockey medal count to a record-extending 13. Harmanpreet Singh emerged as the team’s top scorer with ten goals. Another historic moment in Indian hockey came when the men’s team defeated Australia 3-2 in a group match. This was their first Olympic victory against the Australians since the Munich 1972 Games. This victory ended a 52-year drought.
India also achieved its best-ever medal tally in a single sport at the Olympics, with three medals in shooting. Swapnil Kusale added to the tally by winning a bronze in the men’s 50m rifle three positions event, marking India’s first Olympic medal in this discipline. This unprecedented success surpassed India’s previous best of two medals in shooting at the London 2012 Olympics.
Badminton saw a breakthrough performance from Lakshya Sen, who became the first to reach the semi-finals in an Olympic men’s singles event. Sen’s impressive run included victories over top-ranked players like Jonatan Christie and Chou Tien-chen. However, he fell short in the semis against defending champion Viktor Axelsen and lost the bronze medal to Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia.
Neeraj Chopra continued his legacy from Tokyo 2020 by winning a silver medal in the javelin throw. With a throw of 89.45 meters, Chopra delivered his second-best performance ever. However, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem surpassed him with an Olympic record throw of 92.97 meters, clinching the gold. Despite finishing second, Chopra’s silver added to his Tokyo gold, making him the fifth Indian to win two Olympic medals, joining the ranks of Norman Pritchard, Sushil Kumar, PV Sindhu, and Manu Bhaker.
Manika Batra made history by advancing to the pre-quarterfinals, becoming the first Indian to do so in Olympic table tennis. Batra’s campaign included wins over Anna Hursey of Great Britain and Prithika Pavade of France before Japan’s Miu Hirano defeated her. Olympic debutant Sreeja Akula also reached the round of 16 following victories over Christina Kallberg of Sweden and Zeng Jian of Singapore. However, Akula’s journey ended in round 16 against China’s Sun Yingsha, the Tokyo 2020 silver medallist.
In archery, Dhiraj Bommadevara and Ankita Bhakat set a new benchmark for India by finishing fourth in the mixed-team event. Although they narrowly missed a bronze, their performance represented India’s best result in Olympic archery. The duo reached the semi-finals for the first time in Indian archery history, eventually losing to South Korea and the USA in the medal rounds.