2 out of 7: How did Tokyo Medallists fare at the Paris Olympics?

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics were a pinnacle for the Indian Olympic community, as India won seven medals, the highest count ever. Although there were expectations that the Paris 2024 Olympics might surpass this, unfortunately, that was not the case. India ended up with six medals, including five bronze and one silver.

Manu Bhaker won medals in the 10 m pistol event and the 25 m pistol mixed team event, along with Sarabjot Singh. Unexpectedly, Swapnil Kusale won a medal in the 50-meter air rifle event. The Indian men’s hockey team and Aman Sherawat finished third on the Olympic podium. As expected, Neeraj Chopra outperformed many, but while he did not win gold this time, he clinched silver.

Despite all these achievements, it’s a fact that India’s overall performance fell short. We saw many fourth-place finishes, and the Tokyo 2020 Games remain the best for the Indian contingent. Among the seven medallists from Tokyo, only two have shown consistency, while the others fell short. From PV Sindhu to Mirabai Chanu, many came close but lost their form when it mattered most. First, let’s look at the Tokyo medallists who outperformed everyone with their game and see how they fared this time.

India’s Olympic medallists at Tokyo 2020

Medal	Athlete	Sport
Gold	Neeraj Chopra	Javelin Throw
Silver	Mirabai Chanu	Weightlifting (49 kg)
Silver	Ravi Dahiya	Wrestling (57 kg)
Bronze	P. V. Sindhu	Badminton (Women’s Singles)
Bronze	Lovlina Borgohain	Boxing (Women’s Welterweight)
Bronze	Bajrang Punia	Wrestling (65 kg)
Bronze	Indian Men’s Hockey Team	Hockey

PV Sindhu

Starting with badminton first, you expect a two-time medallist to maintain consistency, winning silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics and bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, PV Sindhu returned empty-handed this time. Although she started well, winning her first two matches against the Maldives’ Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq (21-9, 21-6) and Kristin Kuuba of Estonia (21-14, 21-11), she ultimately lost to China’s He Bingjiao in straight games, with scores of 21-19, 21-14.

Mirabai Chanu

Hailing from Manipur, Mirabai Chanu is the poster girl of Indian weightlifting. Having won the weightlifting event in the 49 kg category at the Tokyo Olympics, she was close to getting another medal, but a few failed attempts cost her dearly. Chanu started strongly in the snatch segment, initially lifting 85 kg and then 87 kg after one failed attempt.

However, it was in the clean and jerk segment where she faltered and lost her chance for a medal. Chanu managed three successful lifts out of six attempts. She had only one successful lift in the clean and jerk section, particularly when she was trying to lift 114 kg in her final attempt but couldn’t.

She lifted a total of 199 kg, which was 3 kg less than her Tokyo lift of 202 kg, which earned her a silver medal. As a result, with a total of 199 kg, she came in fourth and narrowly missed out on a medal.

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Lovlina Borgohain

Looking at boxer Lovlina Borgohain’s report card this time, she also couldn’t capitalise on her success as the bronze medallist from Tokyo 2020. She is only the third Indian boxer to win a medal at the Olympics, following Mary Kom and Vijender Singh. But, she had a tough time at the Paris 2024 Olympics, progressing through the preliminary rounds to reach the quarter-finals, where she faced a formidable opponent, Li Qian from China. Unfortunately, she was defeated in this match by a convincing split decision of 4-1.

Indian Men’s Hockey Team

One of the most successful teams in the Olympics, the Indian hockey team has made for them. Chak de India is everywhere, as they won bronze. Although there was a hiccup that cost them a silver medal and potential gold, they performed convincingly. The team was on a roll, defeating strong opponents like Australia and then Great Britain in a thrilling quarterfinal, where they played with only 10 players for almost 41 minutes. We saw PR Sreejesh’s heroic performances for the last time, and last but not least, Harmanpreet Singh’s captaincy was the finest.

In the semi-final, India’s loss to Germany in a close encounter with a score-line of 2-3 was a setback. However, they regrouped and defeated Spain 2-1 in the bronze medal match, earning a bronze medal just like they did in Tokyo.

Not Gold but Silver Success for Neeraj Chopra!

Five fouls and one successful attempt, that was enough to describe India’s golden boy and star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra’s performance in the final of the javelin event. Yes, that’s correct: five fouls out of six attempts, but it was his second attempt, which soared to 89.45 metres, that secured him the silver medal.

The Tokyo Olympics gold medalist is now a silver medalist, thanks to Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, whose monster throw of 92.97 metres snatched the gold away. Although it might be considered Neeraj’s off day, even on such a day, his performance was enough to win silver, which proves his consistency.

No Bajran Punia & Ravi Dahiya

Among all the names mentioned, some did well and some did not. However, it’s interesting to note that there are two athletes who did not even secure a spot for Paris after winning medals at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Bajrang Punia, the star wrestler in the 65kg freestyle event, who was not selected to represent India this time. This setback came after he suffered a significant defeat by a 1-9 margin against Rohit Kumar in the national qualifiers.

Another Tokyo Olympic medalist, Ravi Dahiya, also received a ‘bye’ after he failed to make a mark in the selection games. However, he performed well despite coming back from an injury. He lost a high-scoring opening bout against Aman Sherawat with a score of 13-14. Sherawat, who eventually won the bronze medal, defeated Puerto Rico’s Darian Toi Cruz by a 13-5 margin.