Yearender 2021: From Neeraj Chopra's Gold to historic Bronze in Hockey, India's Top 10 Olympic moments
The delay in the Games gave athletes further time to hone their skills and the Indian contingent fared well in Tokyo. India won a record seven medals and finished 48th in the rankings table, with Neeraj Chopra's Gold medal in javelin throw being the highlight of the Indian performance.
Tokyo Olympics was originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020 but the COVID-19 pandemic forced organisers to reschedule the Games from 23 July to 8 August 2021. The 1940 Olympic Games were cancelled due to World War II and it was for the very first time in the history of the Olympics that the Games were postponed.
The delay in the Games gave athletes further time to hone their skills and the Indian contingent fared well in Tokyo. India won a record seven medals and finished 48th in the rankings table, with Neeraj Chopra's Gold medal in javelin throw being the highlight of the Indian performance.
2021 has been magnificent for Indian athletes and as the world gets ready to welcome 2022, Indiatvnews.com dishes out the unforgettable Top 10 Indian moments in Tokyo Olympics. Check out!
1. Neeraj Chopra creates history by winning the Gold medal in the Javelin throw
The 24-year-old from Haryana became the first athlete to win the gold medal in track and field for India in the Tokyo Olympics. Hopes were pinned on the javelin thrower and Neeraj delivered on the big stage by winning the yellow metal. The star athlete produced a second-round throw of 87.58m in the finals and ended India's 100-year wait for a track and field medal in the Olympics. August 7, 2021, will forever remain special for Indian fans as Neeraj Chopra stamped his authority as a national hero.
2. Saikhom Mirabai Chanu wins Silver in Weightlifting to open medal account for India
The 27-year old girl from Manipur bagged the silver medal for India in the Tokyo Olympics. Chanu opened the account for India in the very first day by in the 49 kg category. Chanu lifted a total of 202 kg to emerge second behind China’s Hou Zhihui, who won the gold with a total lift of 210 kg.
3. Ravi Kumar Dahiya wins Silver in Wrestling
Ravi Dahiya won the silver medal in the 57kg category as India's medal tally continued to swell. The gold medal slipped from the Haryana wrestler's grasp but Dahiya ensured he brought home the silver. Dahiya made a dramatic comeback from a massive 9-2 deficit to defeat Kazakhstan’s Nurislam Sanayev. Dahiya produced the famous 'Victory by fall' move to stun the opponent.
4. Lovlina Borgohain wins Bronze medal in Boxing
Hailing from Golaghat district of Assam, Lovlina produced the lone medal for India in the boxing category. The 24-year-old boxed her way to the semifinal and ensured India of a medal. the in Welterweight category. Lovlina lost to Turkey's Busenaz Surmeneli 0-5 in the semifinal and settled for the bronze. The boxer was given a rousing welcome upon her arrival in the country.
5. Bajrang Punia wins Bronze in Wrestling
Bajrang Punia won the bronze medal in the Men's 65kg category at the Tokyo Olympics. Punia was primed to win the gold medal. However, the wrestler managed to win the bronze after defeating Kazakhstan's Daulet Niyazbekov. Punia's bronze was the sixth medal and fourth bronze for India in Tokyo.
6. P V Sindhu bags another Olympic medal
Star shuttler PV Sindhu added another feather in his richly decorated crown by winning the bronze medal in the Olympic Games. The 26-year-old from Hyderabad, who bagged a silver in Rio became the only Indian woman to clinch two Olympic medals for India. In the bronze medal match, Sindhu went on to defeat He Bingjiao of China 21-13, 21-15 in the Women's singles match.
7. Indian Men's Hockey team wins Bronze
The Indian men's hockey team created history by winning the bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics. After a gap of 41 years, the men's team defeated Germany 5-4 to win the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Simranjeet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh and Rupinder Pal Singh were the chief architects of the win.
8. Indian Women's Hockey team finishes fourth
While the men's team returned home with a medal, the women fared extremely well as they finished a record fourth in the Tokyo Olympics. The Rani Rampal-led side reached the quarterfinals of the mega event but lost to Great Britain 3-4 in the bronze medal match. .
9. Para shuttler Pramod Bhagat creates history
It didn't seem like that India was making its debut for Badminton in the Paralympics in Tokyo because the energy and the intent that the players showed against their opponents was just phenomenal. The party started with Pramod Bhagat beating Great Britain's Daniel Bethell 21-14, 21-17 in the final to bring home the gold medal. Manoj Sarkar was no less as he went on to take the bronze medal in the same category after losing to the silver medallist Daniel Bethell. Suhas Yathiraj’s brilliant campaign came to end in the finals where he couldn't surpass world champion Lucas Mazur of France. Krishna Nagar wrapped up India’s campaign by winning the gold medal. India won 19 medals.
10. Golfer Aditi Ashok misses out on the Olympic medal by a whisker
Aditi Ashok turned heads and made a billion Indians watch golf as the 23- year-old became a medal contender in the Tokyo Olympics. Aditi, hailing from Bangalore showed exemplery golf skills and remained in the second position for the most part of the tournament. However, she finished fourth after 72 holes in the women’s individual event and missed the medal by just one shot.