5 Indian soldiers who have made a name for themselves at the Olympics

4) Colonel Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore [Retired]

Major Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore [now retired Colonel] - India's first individual Olympic silver medalist in any sport

Some know Norman Pritchard as the man who gave India her first medal at the Olympics. Many remember Kashaba Jadhav fondly as the Indian who gave India her first medal at the Olympics. However, Colonel Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has been quite different from the two.

A trendsetter in his own class, Colonel Rathore has seen it all - war, adventure, loss, victory and more. He is Independent India's first sportsman to win an Olympic silver medal in any sport. What's better - he won the medal in the double trap event - which is the toughest of all disciplines in shooting.

Shooting was considered an elite sport. Except for one medal at the 1962 World Championships, India didn't fare well. However, Major Rathore decided to break the mold. He barely managed to qualify for the finals with a decent score of 135 out of 150 shots.

However, once into the finals, Major Rathore had a significant makeover. He cracked open 44 disks. This was just one disk short of the ultimate winning score of 45, made by Sheikh Ahmed al Makhtoum of UAE. Overall, Major Rathore scored 179, while Al Makhtoum scored a new Olympic record score of 189 out of 200.

Despite winning a silver medal, Major Rathore's medal was special. He created India's legacy in Olympic shooting. In the next edition, Abhinav Bindra went a step ahead, becoming India's first individual Olympic champion in the sport of shooting.