Despite having 117 Athletes, only 5 athletes managed to win a total of 6 medals. While the nation hoped to better its Tokyo performance, India ended the Paris campaign as their joint-worst in the history of the Games.
Even if the Court of Arbitration for Sport's verdict comes out in favour of Wrestler Vinesh Phogat and she is awarded a silver, It will only benefit India three spots in the overall medal standings. Even if the unthinkable happens, this will still remain India's worst show at the Olympics since the 2000 Sydney Games.
Fans had pinned their hopes on the 117 athletes to break the double-digit medal mark for the first time at the Games, but it remains a distant dream. Let's dissect what went wrong for India.
India's Paris Olympics journey can be termed 'upsetting and heartbreaking'. There were moments when luck didn't side with Indian athletes, with as many as 6 athletes ending up in the 4th place in various disciplines. Thus, missing the podium finish by a whisker.
Nonetheless, some top athletes who were expected to win a medal had a disappointing campaign and were knocked out quite early in their respective events.
Athletics was the most disappointing discipline for India. 27 Indian Athletes were part of various track and field events at the Paris Olympics but Only Neeraj Chopra won a medal. Avinash Sable also became the first Indian athlete to qualify for the Men's 3000 metre steeplechase event but apart from him and Neeraj, no other Indian athlete even made it to the finals of their respective Track and Field events.
A thorough introspection is also needed on the coaching staff of the participating athletes. Vinesh Phogat gained weight after winning her semifinal bout, which led to her disqualification. If the reports are to be believed, Antim Panghal also had to starve herself ahead of her match to keep her weight in check.
600+ Athletes participated from the US and Japan also had a contingent of over 400. But, India had only 117 athletes participating in Paris 2024. One might think that fewer participants resulted in a lower finish for India but think about this, Pakistan just had 7 athletes in Paris but still finished at the 62nd spot with just 1 medal, a gold in javelin throw.
Although India missed out on finishing at the top of the podium in any event at the 2024 Olympics, there is a realistic chance of winning a Gold medal in LA 2028, as cricket is expected to debut in the next Olympics.
But, there were some positives as well for India in a few disciplines. The shooting contingent, Which failed to deliver a medal in the last two Olympics won 3 medals in Paris 2024 with Manu Bhaker clinching 2 of those and becoming the first Indian athlete to win multiple medals in a single edition of the Olympics.
Indian hockey team proved that their bronze in Tokyo wasn't a flash in the pan and backed it up with another 3rd-place finish in Paris.
Although Vinesh Phogat was disqualified, Aman Sehrawat gave India its 5th consecutive Olympic medal in wrestling since 2008 by winning Bronze.
If Vinesh Phogat is awarded a Silver medal then India's medal tally will end at 7 which will equal Tokyo 2020's medal tally but It will be fair to say that a nation of over 141 crore is failing to produce champions at the highest level, despite the government breaking the bank for these athletes.
