3 best wins/moments for India in athletics in previous editions of Olympics

The 2024 Paris Olympics is underway, and India has already secured two medals in shooting. With athletics events about to begin, all eyes are on Neeraj Chopra as he aims to defend his gold medal. Anticipation is high for potential upsets or thrilling victories.

Before the action unfolds, let's take a look at three of India's most glorious moments in athletics from previous Olympic editions.

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#1 Neeraj Chopra - Gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics saw Neeraj Chopra emerge as a star athlete, winning gold in the javelin throw. His journey began with an impressive performance in the qualification round, where he topped his group with a throw of 86.65 meters.

He carried that fine form into the final rounds. He unleashed 87.03 meters in his very first throw to take the lead. Chopra extended the lead with 87.58 meters in the second round and confirmed a gold medal as no one else could touch 82 meters in the subsequent rounds.

Now, after being hailed as an Olympic champion, comes the question of whether Neeraj Chopra can retain his gold at the Paris Olympics.

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#2 PT Usha - 4th Place at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics

PT Usha is arguably India's greatest runner, with her best moment coming at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. During the Delhi Olympic trials, she out-ran Asian Champion M. D. Valsamma to qualify for the 400 m hurdles. In a pre-Olympic trial, she clocked 55.7 seconds, better than top American sprinter Judi Brown.

Heading into the Summer Games, Usha covered the distance in 56.81 seconds during the heats and 55.94 seconds in the semi-final. She finished fourth in the finals with 55.42 seconds, setting a national record that stood for a long time and missing the bronze by just 1/100th of a second.

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#3 Milkha Singh - 4th Place at the 1960 Rome Olympics

Milkha Singh, also known as "Flying Sikh," ran for India in three Summer Olympics - in 1956, 1960, and 1964. He is best remembered for the final of the 400 meters race at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, where he led on entering the home straight until he eased off.

His race time of 45.73 seconds set a new Indian national record that remained for like 40 years.