How many medals have India won in shooting at the Olympics over the years?
With the Paris Olympics 2024 kicking off on Friday, July 26, an atmosphere of excitement prevails as the country waits with bated breath for the sporting contests to begin. India have done fairly well in shooting disciplines over the last two decades, and the journey so far has been great. This time, 21 talented shooters are representing India, many of whom are potential medal winners.
The nostalgia gets one thinking about the past. While it was a silver medal back in 2004, India won the gold in 2008. Then in the year 2012, India won a silver and a bronze in the Olympics. Now, in this article, let us look at the four medal winners of previous editions.
#1 Abhinav Bindra - Gold - 2008 Beijing Olympics
Abhinav Bindra's Olympic journey started at the 2000 Sydney Games. He then showed promise at the 2004 Athens Olympics. However, he scaled the highest mountain at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
In the 10m air rifle event, Bindra became India's first individual Olympic gold medalist. He had a score of 596 during the qualifying round and 104.5 in the finals, ending with a perfect shot of 10.8.
Abhinav Bindra's achievement stands as a landmark moment in Indian sports history.
#2 Vijay Kumar - Silver - 2012 London Olympics
Vijay Kumar is one of the most renowned shooters India has ever produced. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he won a silver medal in the individual 25-meter rapid-fire pistol event, with an average final score of 9.767.
Vijay's silver was the second medal for India at London 2012. It was a landmark achievement in his shooting career that made the country proud.
#3 Gagan Narang - Bronze - 2012 London Olympics
Gagan Narang is one of India's finest-ever shooters. He won the bronze medal in the 2012 Olympics. He represented the country at multiple ISSF championships and participated in four consecutive Olympics from Athens to Rio.
Narang won the bronze medal in the 10m air rifle event at the 2012 London Olympics, with a total score of 701.1. He thus became India's first medal winner at the 2012 games.
#4 Rajavardhan Singh Rathore - Silver - 2004 Athens Olympics
Among the notable sports shooters, Rajavardhan Singh Rathore won a silver medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics in the double trap event. This was India's first-ever individual silver at the Olympics.