Paris: India will depart from the Paris Olympics without securing a gold medal, as the Indian hockey team, Abhinav Bindra, and Neeraj Chopra continue to hold their exclusive status as the nation’s sole gold medalists in the Olympic games’ 124-year history.
Reetika Hooda, India’s final contender for gold, faced defeat in a tense quarterfinal against Kyrgyzstan’s Aiperi Medet Kyzy, decided by the countback rule after a draw. Indian golfers Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar, though still competing, are effectively out of medal contention.
Currently, India’s medal count stands at six, comprising one silver medal (Neeraj Chopra) and five bronze medals (Indian Hockey Team, Manu Bhaker, Sarabjot Singh, Swapnil Kusale, and Aman Sehrawat). Reetika has an opportunity to vie for the bronze through repechage if Kyzy advances to the final. Additionally, a verdict on Vinesh Phogat’s petition for a joint silver medal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is anticipated shortly.
Pakistan is set to rank above India in the medal standings for the first time since 1992. Pakistan’s single medal, a gold in men’s javelin by Arshad Nadeem, places them higher in the rankings, which prioritize gold medals.
Nevertheless, the six-medal haul signifies India’s second-best performance at the Olympics, equaling the 2012 London Games. The most successful Olympics for India was in 2021, with a total of seven medals in Tokyo.
Bindra (2008) and Neeraj (2021) remain the only individual Olympic gold medalists for India. The men’s hockey team has contributed eight out of the ten Olympic gold medals for the country.
