Who won India's first Olympic medal?

India’s first Olympic medal was won by Norman Pritchard at the 1900 Paris Olympics. Pritchard, an Anglo-Indian athlete, secured two silver medals in athletics events, marking India’s debut on the Olympic podium.

Competing in track and field, Pritchard clinched silver in both the 200 meters and the 200 meter hurdles. His achievements are particularly noteworthy as they came at a time when India were still under British colonial rule and lacked a formal sports infrastructure.

However, there’s some debate surrounding Pritchard’s representation. While he’s officially recognised as competing for India, some argue that he may have represented Great Britain, given India’s colonial status at the time. Despite this controversy, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) credits his medals to India.

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It would be another 28 years before India won their next Olympic medal, with the men’s field hockey team claiming gold at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. This began India’s dominant run in Olympic field hockey, but Pritchard’s pioneering performance in 1900 remains a significant milestone in Indian Olympic history.

India’s first medal as an independent nation came in men’s hockey when the team bagged a gold at the 1948 London Olympics. Four years later, they repeated their heroics alongside wrestler KD Jadhav who became independent India’s first individual medallist by bagging a bronze.

India have won 35 medals at the Olympics since the 1900 edition.