Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the Indian athletes and medal winners from the Paris Olympics at his residence, 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, on Independence Day.
Modi greeted the players and praised notable athletes, including India’s youngest Olympic medallist Aman Sehrawat, shooters Manu Bhaker, Sarabjot Singh, and Swapnil Kusale, as well as members of the Indian men’s hockey team.
During the event, Modi shook hands with the athletes and took photos with them. Hockey veterans PR Sreejesh and captain Harmanpreet Singh, along with Aman Sehrawat, gifted India jerseys and hockey sticks to the Prime Minister.
A total of 117 Indian athletes competed in 16 sports at the Paris Games, including archery, athletics, badminton, boxing, equestrian, golf, hockey, judo, rowing, sailing, shooting, swimming, wrestling, table tennis, and tennis.
Also Read:India Becoming ‘Aatmanirbhar’ In Defence Manufacturing: PM Modi
India won six medals at the Paris Olympics—one silver and five bronze. Although the country aimed for a historic performance, it fell just short of surpassing its previous best from the Tokyo Olympics 2021, where it won seven medals (1 gold, 2 silver, and 4 bronze) and ranked 48th.
Athletics led the Indian contingent with a robust 29-member team. Additionally, India fielded its largest-ever shooting team of 21 athletes.
Indian athletes set new records and had notable near misses. Manu Bhaker became the first Indian woman to win a shooting medal at the Olympics. Furthermore, she was the first Indian athlete in the post-Independence era to win multiple medals in a single Games.
Manu and Sarabjot Singh also made history as the first Indian shooting pair to win an Olympic medal. Overall, this was India’s sixth Olympic medal in shooting.
Swapnil Kusale’s bronze in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions on August 1 marked India’s third shooting medal at Paris 2024. This achievement set a new record for India’s best-ever medal tally in a single sport at the Olympics and secured the nation’s first medal in the 50m rifle 3 positions event.
Neeraj Chopra, the ace javelin thrower, achieved his career’s second-best throw of 89.45m but missed gold to Arshad Nadeem, who set a new Olympic record of 92.97m. Despite not winning gold, Neeraj’s silver was significant, marking only India’s second athletics medal at the Summer Games, both won by him.
Neeraj became the third Indian to win two Olympic medals, following Sushil Kumar and PV Sindhu.
India’s men’s hockey team, bronze medallists at Tokyo, achieved back-to-back Olympic podium finishes for the first time in 52 years. They rallied from a goal down to defeat Spain 2-1 in the bronze medal playoff at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium. This victory also marked India’s record-extending 13th Olympic hockey medal.