[Watch] Indian athletics contingent welcomed with garlands and cheers as they return from Paris Olympics 2024
The 29-member Indian athletics contingent was welcomed with garlands and cheers from fans as they touched down in the country on their return journey from the Paris Olympics 2024.
In a post shared by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) on social media, several members of the athletics contingent can be seen being welcomed with garlands as they come out of the airport gate. The team can also be seen getting cheered on by the fans present at the airport.
“Our #Athletics team is back home, carrying the spirit of the #ParisOlympics2024 with them,” the caption read. “Their dedication, sweat, and determination on the global stage have made us all proud. As they return, let’s continue to support their journey & #Cheer4Bharat.”
How did the Indian athletics contingent perform at Paris 2024?
India sent its largest-ever Olympic athletics contingent to Paris this year, with 29 athletes representing the nation in the French capital.
With many of the Indian athletics players making their Olympic debut in Paris 2024, the medal expectations were not high to begin with. However, the ultimate output of just one silver medal – that too from Neeraj Chopra – will be a massive disappointment for India’s largest contingent in the Paris 2024 Games.
Out of the entire Indian athletics contingent, only Avinash Sable (other than Neeraj Chopra) qualified for the final round of their respective event, while Parul Chaudhary and the 4x400m relay team missed out on qualifying by very small margins.
Other than the above three, the rest of the athletes failed to even meet their personal best scores, and most of them, including Priyanka Goswami and Tejinderpal Singh Toor, finished towards the bottom half of their respective event’s tables.
Only India’s star athlete Neeraj Chopra was able to break the athletics contingent’s medal duck at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The javelin thrower won a silver medal with a season’s best effort of 89.45m but was eclipsed by Arshad Nadeem’s Olympic record-breaking 92.97m throw.
As the athletics team returns to India, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and the athletes must introspect about their poor outing in the quadrennial games, ahead of the 2026 Asian Games.