Who was the first Indian to win an Olympic medal? 

Norman Pritchard was the first Indian to win a medal in the Olympics. Back in 1990, Pritchard, born in Calcutta (now Kolkata) represented British India. According to the International Olympic Council, he was the only Indian to participate in the Paris Olympics back then. He won silver medals in the men’s 200-metre hurdle and men’s 200-metre sprint.

Pritchard, who took part in five different events in Paris, also became the first Asian-born athlete to finish on the podium in the quadrennial event. He could also have won a medal in the 110-metre hurdles, but somehow fell short after stumbling at the halfway mark. He also set plenty of records at the All-India level.

On the back of Pritchard’s performance, India finished seventh in the medal’s tally. On October 30, 1929, he breathed his last in Los Angeles after suffering from brain malady.

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KD Jadhav strikes for Independent India

While it was Pritchard, who brought India glory in the independent era, KD Jadhav won the gold medal in the men’s freestyle bantamweight competition in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. Being nimble on his feet made Jadhav stand out from the rest. He upped his game under the coaching of Rees Gardner.

In 2000, Jadhav posthumously got the prestigious Arjuna Award for contributing heavily to wrestling. He also took part in the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, but missed out on winning a medal. Jadhav finished sixth in the flyweight section and pulled off a stunning victory over Bert Harris of Australia.

After his professional career, Jadhav also served the police force for 27 years and retired as the Assistant Commissioner of Police. However, he had to struggle for pension later in his life and had to go through tough times. In 1984, Jadhav passed away as he succumbed to the injuries in a road accident.

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