India at Olympics

India at Athens, Greece Olympics 2004
The Indian Olympic Association Sent a total of 73 athletes, 28 women and 48 men to compete in 14 different sports.
The event was historically remembered as India won its first-ever individual silver medal at the Olympics. On the other hand, the Indian men’s hockey team was the only one that was representing India in any kind of team event at the Olympics.

India’s First-Ever Individual Olympic Silver
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, the Army colonel who served at the 1999 Kargil war with Pakistan, made a shift to the shooting sports and won silver at the 2004 Athens games, India’s only medal at that edition and also the nations first-ever medal in shooting.

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore’s journey did not start well, as he shot 135 out of 200 in the opening round, but he finished fifth and advanced. He hit his targets often, though Shaikh Ahmed Al Maktoum, a member of Dubai’s royal family who only started shooting at the age of 34, fired an unassailable lead and won gold, giving his country its first-ever Olympic medal.
However, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore was still under a lot of strain because he was competing for silver with three other shooters and needed to hit both of his flying clay targets in his final try.
The colonel was accurate with both of his shots, scoring 179 out of 200 and raising his right arm in triumph.

After the win, he said, “Winning an Olympic medal is the proudest moment for any sportsperson, and for me, the pride was that I could do this for my country — bring the first-ever individual silver medal for India in Olympics.”

India’s Paralympic wins at the Athens
Devendra Singh, the javelin thrower, won gold with a world record at the 2004 Athens Paralympics, which came out as a pleasant surprise for India. Rajinder Singh Rahelu, the weightlifter, earned bronze as well.

Devendra Singh, 23, of India, improved his own world record to earn the country’s first gold medal in the F44/46 javelin throw. Devendra had lost his hand in a childhood accident, but he had not lost his determination to earn a gold medal for his country.