India's journey at the Olympics has been a rollercoaster of emotions, filled with moments of glory, heartbreak, and sheer determination. The Paris 2024 Olympics have added a new chapter to this saga, with Indian athletes showcasing their talent and resilience on the global stage. This article delves into the consequences of India's Olympic participation, the political issues surrounding it, the hard work and dedication of the athletes, and the inspiring stories of real heroes who have faced both failure and success.

Historical Context and Consequences

India competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, held from 26 July to 11 August 2024. The country made its debut at the 1900 Summer Olympics. Indian athletes have appeared at every edition of the Summer Olympic Games since 1920, and the Paris Games edition marked India's 26th appearance at the Summer Olympics.

The Indian Olympic Association was recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1927. However, by this time, the nation had already made its first Summer Olympics debut at the 1900 Olympics in Paris and had competed in the Olympic Games of 1920 and 1924. Indian athletes have appeared at every edition of the Summer Olympic Games since 1920, and this edition of the Games marked the nation's 26th appearance at the Summer Olympics.

Political Issues

The political landscape has often influenced India's Olympic participation. The Paris 2024 Olympics have not been without controversy. Issues such as funding, governance, and corruption within sports federations have posed challenges. Additionally, the global political climate, including protests and social unrest in France, has impacted the Games. Despite these hurdles, the Indian government's increased focus on sports infrastructure and training programs has started to yield positive results.

Statements from Key Figures

1. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India: "Our athletes have shown immense dedication and resilience. Their hard work and achievements at the Paris 2024 Olympics are a source of pride for the entire nation. We are committed to providing them with the best facilities and support."

2. Vinesh Phogat, Wrestler: "The journey to the Olympics is never easy. It is filled with challenges and setbacks. But every failure is a stepping stone to success. I am grateful for the support of my coaches and the nation."

3. Pullela Gopichand, Badminton Coach: "Training our athletes for the Olympics requires immense effort and resources. The success we see today is the result of years of hard work and dedication. We need to continue investing in our sports infrastructure."

4. Rajdeep Sardesai, Journalist: "The stories of our athletes are truly inspiring. They come from diverse backgrounds and face numerous challenges, yet they persevere and make the nation proud. Their stories need to be told and celebrated."

The Hard Work Behind the Glory

Behind every medal lies years of relentless hard work, sacrifice, and perseverance. Indian athletes often train under challenging conditions, with limited resources and support. For instance, weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, who won silver at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, continued her journey to Paris 2024, showcasing her dedication and resilience.

Insight Stories: Real Heroes

1. Manu Bhaker: Manu Bhaker won India's first medal at the Paris Olympics 2024, striking bronze in the Women's 10m Air Pistol event. She then bagged another bronze in the Mixed 10m Air Pistol event with Sarabjot Singh, becoming the first Indian to win two medals at a single edition of the Olympics. Her journey from a small village in Haryana to the Olympic podium is a testament to her dedication and resilience.

2. Neeraj Chopra: India's first track and field gold medalist, Neeraj Chopra, continued his success story in Paris 2024 by winning a silver in the Men's Javelin Throw. His journey from a small village in Haryana to becoming an Olympic champion is inspiring. "Every throw is a new challenge, and I am grateful for the support of my coaches and the nation," Neeraj said.

3. Aman Sehrawat: Wrestler Aman Sehrawat won a bronze in the Men's 57kg Freestyle event. His journey was marked by rigorous training and overcoming numerous challenges. "Wrestling is not just a sport; it's a way of life. Every match teaches you something new," Aman shared.

4. Indian Men's Hockey Team: The Indian men's hockey team secured a bronze medal by defeating Spain 2-1. This victory was a significant achievement, reflecting the team's hard work and dedication. "Hockey is in our blood, and this medal is for every Indian who believes in us," said captain Harmanpreet Singh.

5. Vinesh Phogat: In the first round of the Women's 50 kg event, Vinesh Phogat defeated reigning Olympic and world champion Yui Susaki of Japan, who had not conceded a single point to an opponent in the Tokyo Olympics. The match was a cagey affair with Susaki leading 2–0 through two penalty points until the final few seconds when the Indian effected a takedown and scored an upset win. Phogat beat Oksana Livach of Ukraine in the quarterfinals and Yusneylys Guzmán of Cuba in the semifinals by point decisions to qualify for the final. However, Phogat was later disqualified for being 100g above the stipulated weight during the weigh-in on the morning of the finals. As a result, she was relegated to last place in the classification.

Failures and Successes

The path to success is often paved with failures. Indian athletes have faced numerous setbacks, from injuries to near-misses. Wrestler Vinesh Phogat's disqualification at the Paris 2024 Olympics was a heartbreaking moment for the nation. However, these failures have also been learning experiences, motivating athletes to come back stronger.

Medalists

India won one silver and five bronze medals, three of which came from shooting. Manu Bhaker won the first medal for India in the Women's 10m Air Pistol event. She won a bronze medal and became the first woman shooter to win an Olympic medal for India. In the Mixed 10m Air Pistol team event, she partnered with Sarabjot Singh to win another bronze, becoming the first Indian since independence to win two medals in a single Olympics. Swapnil Kusale then won another bronze medal in the Men's 50m Rifle Three Positions event, which was India's seventh shooting medal across Olympics.

The men's field hockey team won the bronze medal in the men's event after they defeated Spain in the match for the third place. This became the country's second consecutive bronze in men's hockey at the Olympics. Neeraj Chopra then won a silver medal in the Men's Javelin Throw event. With his gold medal in the 2020 Olympics, he became the fifth individual multiple medalist for India and the first to win a gold and silver combination.

Aman Sehrawat won a bronze medal for India in the Men's Freestyle 57kg Wrestling event. The 21-year-old became the youngest Indian to win an Olympic medal.

Additional Highlights

- Sumit Nagal: Qualified for the men's singles tennis event based on his ATP ranking of 77. Rohan Bopanna, ranked fourth in the ATP rankings, secured an entry in the men's doubles event, partnering with Sriram Balaji. Bopanna competed in his third Olympics and was the oldest athlete of the Indian contingent at 44, while Nagal competed in his second Olympic Games.

- Srihari Nataraj and Dhinidhi Desinghu: Qualified for the men's 100m backstroke and women's 200m freestyle events, respectively. Dhinidhi, aged 14, was the youngest Indian competitor in the games.

- Mixed Skeet Team Event: The Indian duo of Maheshwari Chauhan and Anantjeet Singh Naruka finished fourth in the qualifiers to advance to the bronze medal match. They narrowly missed the bronze medal by a single point, ending India's shooting campaign for the Games.

- Vishnu Saravanan and Nethra Kumanan: Indian sailor Vishnu Saravanan qualified one boat for the men's laser event at the World Championships held in Adelaide, Australia. For the Women's laser radial event, Nethra Kumanan was granted an entry as a part of the emerging nations programme at the Last Chance Regatta held in Hyères, France. Both of them competed in their second consecutive Olympic Games after being part of the 2020 Games. The sailing events were held off the coast of Marseille from 28 July to 8 August. In the men's laser event, Saravanan started well in the first race to finish in the top ten but hovered around the 20th place mark in the next few races. Though he recovered to put in stronger performances in the next two races with a best finish in the seventh race, he ended up in 18th place amongst 43 competitors in the overall classification with 114 points. In the women's event, Kumanan had a strong first two races with the best of sixth place in the first race. But a poor series of three races dropped her down the order from which she never recovered. Though she put in another top ten finish in the final race, she ended up in 21st rank amongst the 43 sailors in the overall classification. Though both of them failed to progress to the medal races, this was the best Olympic performance by both the sailors in their respective categories.

- Swapnil Kusale: In the men's 50m rifle three positions event, Swapnil Kusale made it to the finals after finishing seventh with a score of 590 in the qualifiers. In the finals, Kusale started slowly, ranked sixth among the eight finalists after the first set of shots in the kneeling position. He recovered with strong shots in the prone and standing positions, finishing with 451.4 points to win the bronze medal, India's third at the Games, all in shooting. Arjun Babuta also qualified for the finals of the men's 10m air rifle event. He started strongly and was ranked third for most of the event, but two poor shots resulted in him finishing fourth, narrowly missing out on a medal. In the men's 25m rapid fire pistol event, Vijayveer Sidhu was placed fifth after the first stage, but a poor score in the next round meant he finished ninth, missing out on qualification for the finals. Ramita Jindal qualified for the women's 10m air rifle event. She started well, ranked fourth after the first series of shots, but dropped down after some poor shots in the second set, finishing seventh in the final rankings. In the women's 25m pistol event, Manu Bhaker made it to the finals after placing second in the qualification rounds. In the final, she started poorly, tied for sixth, but progressed up the order to be ranked joint second, one point behind the leader after the seventh series. However, a poor score in the next series meant she missed three shots out of five, tying with Veronica Major of Hungary. In the shoot-off for third place, Bhaker started strongly but missed two shots, finishing fourth and narrowly missing out on a third medal.

- Sailing: Indian sailor Vishnu Saravanan qualified one boat for the men's laser event at the World Championships held in Adelaide, Australia. For the women's laser radial event, Nethra Kumanan was granted entry as part of the emerging nations program at the Last Chance Regatta held in Hyères, France. Both competed in their second consecutive Olympic Games after participating in the 2020 Games. The sailing events were held off the coast of Marseille from 28 July to 8 August. In the men's laser event, Saravanan started well in the first race, finishing in the top ten, but hovered around the 20th place mark in the next few races. He recovered with stronger performances in the next two races, with a best finish in the seventh race, ending up in 18th place among 43 competitors in the overall classification with 114 points. In the women's event, Kumanan had a strong first two races, with a best finish of sixth place in the first race. However, a poor series of three races dropped her down the order from which she never recovered. Though she managed another top ten finish in the final race, she ended up in 21st place among the 43 sailors in the overall classification. Although both failed to progress to the medal races, this was the best Olympic performance by both sailors in their respective categories.

- Judo: India could enter a maximum of 14 judokas for the event, with one in each weight division. The qualification was determined by the world ranking list prepared by the International Judo Federation (IJF) as of 23 June 2024. The top 17 were awarded straight quotas, apart from continental quotas awarded by the IJF. As per the final qualification list, one Indian judoka, Tulika Maan, was awarded entry in the women's 78 kg category. She qualified under the continental quota as one of the top two ranked Asians outside the top 17 of the rankings and was the lone Indian judoka at the Games.

- Golf: India qualified four golfers (two men and two women) for the tournament based on the world ranking criteria. Shubhankar Sharma and Gaganjeet Bhullar, ranked 219th and 261st in the world, qualified in the 46th and 51st positions, respectively. Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar, ranked 60th and 167th, qualified at the 25th and 41st positions, respectively. This was Ashok's third Olympics after 2016 and 2020, where she missed out on a medal by a single shot. This was Dagar's second Games entry, while both male golfers made their Olympic debuts.

- Boxing: India qualified six boxers for the tournament. Women boxers Nikhat Zareen, Preeti Pawar, and Lovlina Borgohain qualified for their respective weight divisions by virtue of their finish in the Asian Games 2022. While Parveen Hooda initially qualified for the women's 57 kg category, she was later suspended by the World Anti-Doping Agency due to a failed dope test, and her place was taken by Jaismine Lamboria, who qualified by reaching the semi-finals of the 2024 World Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament 2. Amit Panghal and Nishant Dev secured their quotas for the men's 57 kg and men's 71 kg events, respectively, at the same qualification tournament. In the Indian boxing contingent, Panghal and Borgohain competed in their second Olympic Games, while the other four made their debuts. Borgohain had won the bronze medal in the women's welterweight competition at the 2020 Games.

- Badminton: The qualification rules for the doubles event allowed NOCs to enter a maximum of two pairs if both were ranked in the top eight, while the remaining NOCs were entitled to one pair until the quota of 16 was filled. The Indian pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, ranked third, qualified for the men's doubles event. Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto also made it to the women's doubles event after finishing 13th in the rankings. India entered all seven players who qualified for the tournament with three entries in the singles and two pairs in the doubles event. Among the Indian badminton contingent, Sindhu had won the silver medal in the women's singles event at the 2016 Games and a bronze medal in the 2020 Games.

- Athletics: In the qualification for the men's javelin throw event, reigning champion Neeraj Chopra recorded a season's best of 89.34 m in his first throw to top the table. He secured a direct entry to the finals as the mark was well above the direct qualification standard set at 84 m. In the same event, Kishore Jena recorded a best throw of 80.73 m but failed to qualify and had to exit. In the final, Chopra recorded his only legitimate throw of 89.45 m in the second attempt, securing a silver medal. This made him India's first Olympic champion with a gold and silver combination, as he had won the gold in Tokyo 2020.

Conclusion

India’s journey at the Paris 2024 Olympics is a testament to the resilience, dedication, and hard work of its athletes. Despite numerous challenges, including political issues, limited resources, and personal setbacks, Indian athletes have shown remarkable perseverance and achieved significant milestones. Their stories of triumph and trials inspire millions and highlight the importance of continued investment in sports infrastructure and training.

“Winning an Olympic medal is not just about the glory; it’s about the journey, the sacrifices, and the relentless pursuit of excellence.” – Abhinav Bindra, India’s first individual Olympic gold medalist.