Flag bearers at Olympic closing ceremonies: Indians that were honoured

Although India's medal haul at the Paris Olympics could not match the Tokyo gains, bronze medalist Manu Bhaker and PR Sreejesh were the two names that shone the brightest.

The pistol shooting prodigy, Bhaker, had already etched her name in the history of Indian sports with her multiple medals when Sreejesh, the goalkeeping stalwart of the Indian hockey team, brought his illustrious career to a fitting finale with a bronze medal.

And it was but appropriate that the duo were bestowed with the opportunity to be India’s flag-bearers in the closing ceremony on Sunday.

Manu Bhaker expressed her pride on Instagram, and said, “Proud to be India’s flag-bearer alongside one of the nation’s true sporting heroes PR Sreejesh.”

The tradition of handing accomplished athletes the honour of carrying the national trio-colour at the closing ceremony is a befitting culmination of their Olympic journey.

And this honour has previously been handed to several illustrious athletes in the past.

Here's a look at India’s flagbearer's at the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games since Beijing.

1. Beijing - 2008

Bronze medalist and boxer, Vijendra Kumar was honoured with the opportunity of being India’s flagbearer at the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

As an amateur, he became the first Indian boxer to have won an Olympic medal in boxing, a bronze, which was followed by Sushil Kumar’s bronze in 66kg freestyle wrestling.

Beijing was particularly special for India as it found its first individual gold medalist in the form of Abhinav Bindra in the 10m Air Rifle event.

2. London - 2012

Mary Kom, the legendary Indian boxer, had the honor of being India’s flagbearer at the London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony.

On August 8, 2012, she made history by becoming the first Indian woman pugilist to win an Olympic medal, claiming bronze in the 51kg category.

The London Games were filled with other historic firsts.

Saina Nehwal made her mark as the first Indian to win a bronze medal in women’s singles badminton while wrestler Sushil Kumar also set a new record by becoming the first Indian athlete to win two Olympic medals, a distinction now shared with PV Sindhu, Manu Bhaker, and Neeraj Chopra.

3. Rio - 2016

Sakshi Malik had the honor of being India’s flagbearer at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

In a dramatic turn of events, she clinched a bronze medal in the 58kg wrestling category, becoming the first Indian female wrestler to win an Olympic medal.

Her victory came in the final moments of her match, turning the tide in India's favor.

Surprisingly, India's only two medals in Rio were secured by female athletes.

Besides Sakshi Malik’s bronze, PV Sindhu won a silver medal in badminton, marking a standout performance for Indian women at the Games.

4.Tokyo - 2020

In one of India’s most successful Olympic campaigns to date, Bajrang Punia was selected as the flag bearer for the closing ceremony.

He achieved this honour by securing a bronze medal in Men’s freestyle 65kg, defeating Kazakhstan’s Daulet Niyazbekov with a decisive 8-0 score.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics also saw Neeraj Chopra become only the second Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal.

Additionally, PV Sindhu won her second Olympic medal, while the men’s hockey team ended a 41-year medal drought with their bronze win.

5. Paris - 2024

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, the Indian contingent was proudly led by Manu Bhaker and PR Sreejesh as flag-bearers.

Despite coming in with a lot of expectations, India’s campaign ended with a mere 6 medals.

Neeraj Chopra won a silver medal, continuing his impressive streak. Manu Bhaker also made significant contributions, earning two bronze medals, one in women’s 10m air pistol and another in the mixed team event with Sarabjot Singh.

Additional bronze medals were secured by Swapnil Kusale and Aman Sehrawat, as well as the Indian hockey team.

The hockey team, under the leadership of goalkeeper Harmanpreet Singh, won bronze by defeating Spain, marking the team’s second consecutive bronze medal following the podium finish at Tokyo 2020.

The bronze at Paris was the first time that the men’s hockey team won consecutive medals since 1972 and it was a fitting end to what was PR Sreejesh’s final Olympic appearance.