The firsts of Team India at Tokyo Olympics

With India sending its biggest squad ever comprising more than 120 athletes to compete across 18 sporting events for 85 medals, Team India had the most successful campaign at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. With seven medals (1 gold, 2 silver, and 4 bronze), it had the most medals in an Olympic event.

 

 

In a first, India sent 56 female athletes making it the country's largest female contingent to the Summer Olympics ever. Similarly, there are several firsts for Team India at the world's biggest sporting event.

 

1. India's ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra won the country's first Olympics gold medal in Athletics for Javelin Throw.

 

2. Mirabai Chanu became the first Indian weightlifter to win a silver medal at the Olympics.

 

3. Though this is not the first for India to win a medal for hockey in Olympics, the Indian Men's Hockey Team win the Bronze Medal ending a 41-year drought.

 

4. Star shuttler PV Sindhu became the first Indian woman athlete to win 2 consecutive medals. Before winning a bronze medal this year, she had won silver medal in Rio 2016.

 

5. In a huge victory for the Indian Women's Hockey Team made it to the semi-finals for the first time ever. The team had missed out on the medal by a whisker.

 

6. Long time after, boxer Lovlina Borgohain became the second Indian boxer to win the bronze medal at Olympics.

 

7. Taking Indian golfing to new heights, Aditi Ashok became the first female golfer to qualify from India and finished at the best-ever position - 4th. In the 4th round, she was in the top 3 for almost 16 rounds but after she slipped to the 4th position missing out on a medal.

 

8. Fencing which is very unpopular game in India, Bhavani Devi gave India its first win in Fencing sport.

 

9. Kamalpreet Kaur became the first Indian athlete to qualify for the finals of the Women's discus.

 

10. The Indian quartet - Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Tom Noah Nirmal, Rajiv Arokia and Amoj Jacob - created a 4 x 400 relay Asian record by clocking 3.00.25.

 

11. Indian equestrian Fouaad Mirza became the first Indian to reach the final of the event.

 

12. Rowers Arjun Lal Jat and Arvind Singh became the first Indian pair to reach the semi-finals at the Olympics.