On International Olympic Day 2020, remembering India's greatest Olympians

India has showcased some of the best talents in the world when it comes to Olympics. Despite many challenges that athletes and sportspersons face in India, they have always managed to secure medals for the country.

India has nine gold medals, 7 silver medals and 12 bronze medals in the Olympics which tallies to 28 medals. In the spirit of Olympic day, here are three of the top Indian Olympians who have represented and done a lot for the country.

Abhinav Bindra

Rio de Janeiro: India's Abhinav Bindra pauses during the Men's 10m Air Rifle competition practice session ahead of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Image: PTI)

Though currently a retired shooter and businessman, Abhinav Bindra is a very well known name in Olympic shooting. He was very young when he developed an affinity for shooting and trained hard to make his debut at the Commonwealth Games 1998 at the age of 15. Abhinav has one many medals in various competitions but due to a severe back injury, he had to stop training which would’ve hampered his chances for the 2008 Olympics. However he made a comeback and competed in 2006 in the ISSF World Shooting Championships which qualified him for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing which would become the highlight for the country as he scored India’s first individual gold medal. He has won a total of 6 gold medals, one in the Olympics, 4 in the Commonwealth Games and another one in the World Championships. He has also won three medals in Asian Games. Abhinav also founded an organization dedicated to helping upcoming athletes train by providing assistance and good facilities.

Sushil Kumar

Sushil Kumar after winning silver at the Londoan 2012 Olympics (Source: PTI)

Being the only Indian athlete to win two medals since Indian independence in a sport other than hockey, Sushil Kumar was inspired by his father and cousin to take up wrestling and has made major strides. He began training under veteran wrestling Coach Yashvir Singh at the age of 14 and made his mark in the World Cadet Games in 1998. Coming from humble beginnings, his family could only provide for one but overcoming these hurdles, Sushil Kumar managed to secure an Olympic bronze medal in wrestling in 2008, an achievement that India has accomplished unstoppably for the past three Olympics. He then won a silver at the 2012 London Olympics. He inspired the likes of Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat who are today representing our country in wrestling. Undeterred by the coronavirus, Sushil continues training and is hoping to secure another medal for the postponed Tokyo Olympics which will be held in 2021. He has opened a wrestling academy in the town of Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh to give back and encourage wrestling as a sport.

Balbir Singh Sr.

Balbir Singh Sr. (Source: The Print)

The late Balbir Singh Sr. is a hockey legend who is known for setting the unbeatable record of having scored the most number of goals as an individual. Training at a young age under the guidance of hockey player Harbail Singh, Balbir Singh made immense progress and was captain of his team in the All India Inter-University competition where his team prospered and won the titles for three consecutive years, 1943, 1944, and 1945. His debut at the London Olympics in 1948 resulted in India winning 4-0. India made major strides in Helsinki Olympics of 1952 with Singh scoring 9 out of the 13 goals India had made. Melbourne Olympics (1956) marked India’s win in the finals against Pakistan with a score of 1-0 which resulted in Balbir Singh’s individual goal count to 22 in a total of 8 Olympic Games. He was the first sports recipient of the Padma Shri award.

Balbir Singh Sr. (Source: The Print)olympic-medallist/