3 Indian athletes who have won two individual medals at the Olympics ft. Neeraj Chopra
India has produced countless athletes who have gone on to win medals at the Olympic Games. While the country has won over 40 medals at the Olympics, a fourth of those are in team sports. And only three athletes from that list have managed to achieve the remarkable feat of winning two individual Olympic medals. Let us look at these three exceptional athletes who managed to achieve this incredible feat:
#1. PV Sindhu
PV Sindhu is undoubtedly one of the greatest athletes in Indian sport. She first captured the nation’s attention by winning a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, making it the best result by any Indian badminton player.
Sindhu’s journey in Rio was nothing short of extraordinary. At just 21, in her debut Olympics, Sindhu fought her way to the final, overcoming top players such as Tai Tzu-Ying and Nozomi Okuhara. In the final, despite an extraordinary performance that saw her win the first set, she just fell short, losing the next two against Spain’s Carolina Marin, to secure a historic silver for India.
At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Sindhu once again did the unthinkable. After a strong start, she made her way to the semifinals, where she faced World No. 1 Tai Tzu-Ying. Although she lost in the semifinals, Sindhu bounced back in the bronze medal match, defeating He Bing Jiao to claim her second Olympic medal. This achievement made her the first Indian woman to win two individual Olympic medals and also only the second Indian to win back-to-back individual medals at the Olympics.
#2. Sushil Kumar
Sushil Kumar is a name that is synonymous with wrestling in India. The Indian wrestler ended the country’s long wait for an Olympic medal in wrestling by winning a bronze in the 66 kg freestyle event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
His path to the medal was not easy. Suffering a defeat in the first round, Kumar had to fight through the repechage rounds to have a shot at bronze. However, his determination shone through as he achieved the feat, winning three matches in just over an hour to take home the a medal.
At the 2012 London Olympics, Sushil Kumar bettered his performance by winning a silver medal, making him the first Indian to win two individual Olympic medals. His silver in London, after a hard-fought final against Japan’s Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu, remains one of the most celebrated moments in Indian sports history and makes him the first Indian to win back-to-back individual medals at the Olympic Games.
#3. Neeraj Chopra
Neeraj Chopra has rapidly ascended to the pinnacle of Indian athletics in the last few years. After winning India’s first-ever Olympic gold in athletics at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Chopra continued his incredible form at the Paris Olympics 2024.
In Paris, Chopra secured a silver medal with a remarkable throw of 89.45 meters, making him the first Indian track and field athlete to win back-to-back Olympic medals.
He also became only the third Indian to win back-to-back individual medals at the quadrennial games, and his achievements in Tokyo and Paris have cemented his place among India’s greatest Olympians.