How Many Medals India Won in Olympics History?
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How many medals India won in Olympics history? India has won a total of 41 medals across the Summer Olympics since its debut in 1900 – 10 gold, 10 silver, and 21 bronze. India has never won a Winter Olympics medal. From a single athlete competing alone at Paris 1900 to a 117-member contingent at Paris 2024, India’s Olympic journey spans 125 years and 21 editions of the Games, built almost entirely on the back of two golden chapters: the hockey team’s dominance of the mid-20th century, and the individual breakthroughs of the last two decades.
India at the Olympics: Fast Facts
- Total medals: 41 (10 gold, 10 silver, 21 bronze)
- First appearance: Paris 1900 (Norman Pritchard, 2 silvers)
- First team appearance: Antwerp 1920
- Most successful sport: Hockey (13 medals, including 8 golds)
- First individual medal (independent India): KD Jadhav, bronze, wrestling, Helsinki 1952
- First individual gold: Abhinav Bindra, shooting, Beijing 2008
- Best single-Games haul: 7 medals at Tokyo 2020
Complete List of Every Indian Olympic Medal Winner (1900-2024)
| Year | Athlete(s) | Sport | Event | Medal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Norman Pritchard | Athletics | Men’s 200m | Silver |
| 1900 | Norman Pritchard | Athletics | Men’s 200m Hurdles | Silver |
| 1928 | Indian Hockey Team | Hockey | Men’s Hockey | Gold |
| 1932 | Indian Hockey Team | Hockey | Men’s Hockey | Gold |
| 1936 | Indian Hockey Team | Hockey | Men’s Hockey | Gold |
| 1948 | Indian Hockey Team | Hockey | Men’s Hockey | Gold |
| 1952 | Indian Hockey Team | Hockey | Men’s Hockey | Gold |
| 1952 | KD Jadhav | Wrestling | Men’s Freestyle Bantamweight | Bronze |
| 1956 | Indian Hockey Team | Hockey | Men’s Hockey | Gold |
| 1960 | Indian Hockey Team | Hockey | Men’s Hockey | Silver |
| 1964 | Indian Hockey Team | Hockey | Men’s Hockey | Gold |
| 1968 | Indian Hockey Team | Hockey | Men’s Hockey | Bronze |
| 1972 | Indian Hockey Team | Hockey | Men’s Hockey | Bronze |
| 1980 | Indian Hockey Team | Hockey | Men’s Hockey | Gold |
| 1996 | Leander Paes | Tennis | Men’s Singles | Bronze |
| 2000 | Karnam Malleswari | Weightlifting | Women’s 54kg | Bronze |
| 2004 | Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore | Shooting | Men’s Double Trap | Silver |
| 2008 | Abhinav Bindra | Shooting | Men’s 10m Air Rifle | Gold |
| 2008 | Vijender Singh | Boxing | Men’s Middleweight | Bronze |
| 2008 | Sushil Kumar | Wrestling | Men’s Freestyle 66kg | Bronze |
| 2012 | Vijay Kumar | Shooting | Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol | Silver |
| 2012 | Sushil Kumar | Wrestling | Men’s Freestyle 66kg | Silver |
| 2012 | Gagan Narang | Shooting | Men’s 10m Air Rifle | Bronze |
| 2012 | Saina Nehwal | Badminton | Women’s Singles | Bronze |
| 2012 | Mary Kom | Boxing | Women’s Flyweight | Bronze |
| 2012 | Yogeshwar Dutt | Wrestling | Men’s Freestyle 60kg | Bronze |
| 2016 | PV Sindhu | Badminton | Women’s Singles | Silver |
| 2016 | Sakshi Malik | Wrestling | Women’s Freestyle 58kg | Bronze |
| 2020 | Neeraj Chopra | Athletics | Men’s Javelin Throw | Gold |
| 2020 | Mirabai Chanu | Weightlifting | Women’s 49kg | Silver |
| 2020 | Ravi Kumar Dahiya | Wrestling | Men’s Freestyle 57kg | Silver |
| 2020 | PV Sindhu | Badminton | Women’s Singles | Bronze |
| 2020 | Lovlina Borgohain | Boxing | Women’s Welterweight | Bronze |
| 2020 | Bajrang Punia | Wrestling | Men’s Freestyle 65kg | Bronze |
| 2020 | Indian Hockey Team | Hockey | Men’s Hockey | Bronze |
| 2024 | Manu Bhaker | Shooting | Women’s 10m Air Pistol | Bronze |
| 2024 | Manu Bhaker & Sarabjot Singh | Shooting | 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team | Bronze |
| 2024 | Swapnil Kusale | Shooting | Men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions | Bronze |
| 2024 | Neeraj Chopra | Athletics | Men’s Javelin Throw | Silver |
| 2024 | Indian Hockey Team | Hockey | Men’s Hockey | Bronze |
| 2024 | Aman Sehrawat | Wrestling | Men’s Freestyle 57kg | Bronze |
That’s all 41 medals India has won across 21 editions of the Summer Olympics it has competed in since 1900, spanning 8 sports and 30 individual or team medal-winning performances.
How Many Medals Did India Win in Olympics History, By Medal Type
| Medal | Count |
|---|---|
| Gold | 10 |
| Silver | 10 |
| Bronze | 21 |
| Total | 41 |
Eight of India’s 10 gold medals came from a single sport, hockey, between 1928 and 1980. Only two individual gold medals have ever been won by an Indian Olympian: Abhinav Bindra in shooting at Beijing 2008, and Neeraj Chopra in athletics at Tokyo 2020.
India’s Olympic Medals By Sport
| Sport | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey | 8 | 1 | 4 | 13 |
| Wrestling | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Shooting | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Athletics | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Badminton | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Boxing | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Weightlifting | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Tennis | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Hockey remains India’s most successful Olympic sport by a wide margin, but the balance has shifted noticeably since 2008; individual sports like shooting, wrestling, badminton, and boxing have combined for more medals than hockey in the last five editions of the Games.
The Hockey Era: India’s First Olympic Golden Age
India’s Olympic story truly began with hockey. The men’s team won six consecutive gold medals from Amsterdam 1928 to Melbourne 1956, a run inspired by the legendary Major Dhyan Chand, who scored prolifically across three of those triumphs. India added a seventh gold at Tokyo 1964 and an eighth at Moscow 1980, along with a silver at Rome 1960 and bronzes at Mexico City 1968, Munich 1972, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024. Even after a 41-year gap without a medal between 1980 and 2020, hockey remains India’s single most decorated Olympic sport, and its 2020 and 2024 back-to-back bronzes have reignited hopes of a return to the podium’s top step.
Key Milestones in India’s Olympic History
1900: Norman Pritchard’s Two Silvers
Norman Pritchard, a Calcutta-born athlete, became independent India’s and colonial India’s first Olympic medallist, winning silver in the men’s 200m and 200m hurdles at Paris 1900. His nationality has occasionally been a subject of historical debate, as some IOC records from that era list him under Great Britain rather than India, though most modern Indian Olympic records continue to credit these as India’s first two Olympic medals.
1952: KD Jadhav’s Historic Individual Bronze
Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav won bronze in freestyle wrestling at Helsinki 1952, becoming independent India’s first individual Olympic medallist. It would be 44 years before another Indian would win an individual medal at the Games.
2000: Karnam Malleswari, India’s First Woman Olympic Medallist
Weightlifter Karnam Malleswari won bronze in the women’s 54kg category at Sydney 2000, becoming the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal. Two decades later, Mirabai Chanu added India’s second Olympic weightlifting medal, a silver, at Tokyo 2020.
2008: Abhinav Bindra’s Historic Individual Gold
Shooter Abhinav Bindra won gold in the men’s 10m air rifle at Beijing 2008, becoming India’s first individual Olympic gold medallist in the country’s 108-year Olympic history at the time.
2020 & 2024: Neeraj Chopra’s Back-to-Back Javelin Medals
Neeraj Chopra won gold at Tokyo 2020 and silver at Paris 2024 in the men’s javelin throw, becoming India’s most successful individual Olympian and the only Indian to win an Olympic gold and silver across consecutive editions of the Games. His 2020 gold was also India’s first-ever Olympic medal in track and field.
2024: Manu Bhaker’s Historic Double
Shooter Manu Bhaker won two bronze medals at Paris 2024 in the women’s 10m air pistol and the mixed team 10m air pistol events, becoming the first athlete from independent India to win two medals at a single edition of the Olympics.
India’s Best-Ever Olympic Campaigns
| Olympics | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo 2020 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| London 2012 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Paris 2024 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Beijing 2008 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Rio 2016 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
India is yet to win a double-digit medal haul at a single Olympic Games. Tokyo 2020’s seven-medal campaign remains the country’s best-ever performance, narrowly ahead of the six-medal totals from both London 2012 and Paris 2024.
Uttarakhand’s Contribution to India’s Olympic Story
While Uttarakhand has not yet produced an Olympic medallist, several of its athletes have represented India on the Olympic stage. Lakshya Sen, born in Almora, became the first Indian male shuttler to reach an Olympic singles semifinal at Paris 2024. Race walker Manish Singh Rawat represented India at Rio 2016, and fellow race walker Paramjeet Singh Bisht and steeplechase athlete Ankita Dhyani both competed at Paris 2024, continuing the state’s growing presence at the Games. Explore more of the state’s Olympians on our Famous Uttarakhand Sports Persons page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many medals India won in Olympics history?
India has won 41 medals in Olympic history: 10 gold, 10 silver, and 21 bronze across the Summer Olympics from 1900 to 2024.
Which sport has given India the most Olympic medals?
Hockey has given India the most Olympic medals, with 13 medals in total, including 8 gold medals won between 1928 and 1980.
Who was India’s first Olympic medallist?
Norman Pritchard was India’s first Olympic medallist, winning two silver medals in athletics at the 1900 Paris Olympics.
Who won India’s first individual Olympic gold medal?
Abhinav Bindra won India’s first individual Olympic gold medal in the men’s 10m air rifle shooting event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
What is India’s best-ever medal haul at a single Olympics?
India’s best-ever medal haul at a single Olympics is 7 medals, achieved at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics – 1 gold, 2 silver, and 4 bronze.
Sources: Olympics.com (official Olympic Movement platform): How many medals has India won in the Olympics? Paris 2024 Olympics wrestling schedule for India; Deccan Herald – Indian hockey team’s Olympic medal history; WION – Paris 2024 Olympics medal-by-medal reports.