Crests Troughs
Once our hockey reaped a harvest of gold. Now it's stray pickings in any sport.
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Amsterdam, 1928
On May 26, 1928, before a crowd of nearly 24,000 spectators, India beat the Netherlands 3-0 at hockey to win their first Olympics gold medal. Dhyan Chand scored 14 of India's 29 goals in the Games. India retained the gold in the Los Angeles Olympics four years later. Dhyan Chand and younger brother Roop Singh together notched 25 of the 35 goals scored by the team.
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Rome, 1960
The legend of Milkha Singh was born here—and with it, a lifetime of regret. He was leading the pack in the 400 metres final but slowed down, fearing that he was going too fast, even turning to look at the competitors. In a trice, three other athletes overtook him, leaving him fourth. India lost the hockey gold to Pakistan, but regained it four years later at Tokyo.
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Los Angeles, 1984
Running in the fifth lane in the women's 400 metres hurdles final, 'Payyoli Express' P.T. Usha finished fourth, missing the bronze by a heart-breaking one-hundredth of a second. Usha was the first Indian woman (and the fifth Indian overall) to reach the final of an Olympic event.
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Atlanta, 1996
Known to perform his best when playing under the Indian flag, a plucky Leander Paes upset several higher-ranked players to reach the semi-finals, where he lost to eventual champion Andre Agassi. He managed the bronze, though, beating Brazilian Fernando Meligeni 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the playoff.
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Sydney, 2000
Karnam Malleswari became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal, lifting a total of 240 kg in the 69 kg weightlifting division. Interestingly, a leading newsmagazine had discounted her chances because, it said, she drank beer and ate "too much" chicken and cheese!
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Athens, 2004
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, then a Major in the Indian army, won India's only medal at Athens, a silver, in the double trap event. And to think it was only in 1998 that he took up competitive shooting!
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