Gone are those days when the participation of Indian wrestlers was really low in the Olympics. As years are passing on, the number of Indian wrestlers in the Olympics is also gradually increasing. It is a good sign which indicates that the number will boost in the upcoming years. When it comes to wrestling, Indian wrestlers have shown great performance, competition, promise, and dedication in the Olympics and also bagged medals in the name of the nation. Our country has 5 medals in wrestling- one silver medal and the rest four are bronze. 

Likewise every year, this year too some Indian wrestlers are competing in the Tokyo Olympics which is going to be held in Tokyo from 23rd July to 8 August. 8 wrestlers from our country have been qualified for the Olympics this year- Deepak Punia (Men's Freestyle 86 kg), Ravi Kumar Dahiya, (Men's Freestyle 57 kg), Bajrang Punia, (Men's Freestyle 65 kg), Vinesh Phogat (Women's Freestyle 53 kg), Seema Bisla (Women's Freestyle, 50kg), Anshu Malik (Women's Freestyle 57kg), Sumit Malik (Men's Freestyle 125 kg), and Sonam Malik (Women's Freestyle 62kg).

Read Also: Indian Athletes Qualified for 2020 Olympics in Tokyo: In Detail

1. Deepak Punia (Men's Freestyle 86 kg)

Deepak Punia is an Indian freestyle wrestler who created history for himself and this nation. He is the first Indian wrestler who won the "Junior Freestyler of the Year" award in 2019. 2019 was going great for him as in that very year, he showed a spectacular performance in the world championships and was also selected to compete in the final but all was not well in the end and he could not participate in the final match because of an injury.

2. Vinesh Phogat (Women's Freestyle 53 kg)

The first Indian woman wrestler to win a gold medal in the commonwealth and Asian games and the first Indian athlete to be nominated for Laureus World Sports Award is none other than Vinesh Phogat. She is also the first Indian woman to get qualified for the Tokyo Olympics.

Read Also: A Glimpse of Indian Female Athletes Who Qualified for Tokyo Olympics

3. Ravi Kumar Dahiya, (Men's Freestyle 57 kg)

Ravi Kumar Dahiya started his debut games with a bang. In the pre-quarterfinals, he defeated the European champion, Arsen Harutyunyan and in the quarterfinal, he defeated Yuki Takahashi. These wins helped him to grab one quota place for the Summer Olympics, 2020. In the semifinal round, he wrestled against Zaur Uguev but unfortunately lost the round and he was rewarded with the bronze medal. Later he became a part of the Ministry o Youth Affairs and Sports' Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). He gained the gold medal at the 2020 Asian Wrestling Championships in New Delhi in the year 2020.

4. Sonam Malik (Women's Freestyle 62kg)

The 18-year-old wrestler Sonam Malik had an exciting and enthralling match against Ayaulym Kassymova in the semi-finals. At the beginning of the match was entirely on Kassymova's side but soon Sonam made a comeback and finished the match to 9-6 and secured her place in the Tokyo Olympics in the 62 kg category. She has been working very hard and showing great results for the last few years. In 2018, she won the silver medal at the cadet World championship and in 2017 and 2019, she won the gold medal for the same competition, cadet World championship.

5.  Anshu Malik (Women's Freestyle 57kg)

The 19-year-old wrestler Anshu Malik has been qualified at the Tokyo Olympics alongside Sonam Malik. She is the fifth Indian wrestler to book her berth in the Olympics wrestling and she has also won the bronze medals in the 57 kg event at the 2020 Asian Wrestling Championships in New Delhi. Again in 2020, she won the silver medal in the women's 57 kg event at the 2020 Individual Wrestling World Cup in Belgrade, Serbia.

Read Also: Indian Boxers who qualified for the Tokyo Olympics 2020

6. Seema Bisla (Women's Freestyle, 50kg)

Seema Bisla has been qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in the 50 kg category after making it to the finals of the world Olympic qualifier in Bulgaria. She is the eighth Indian wrestler who has been qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. To reach this stage, she made some exclusive performances and also won three consecutive wins. At first, she defeated Anastasiya Yanotava by 8-0, then Emma Malmgren by 10-2, and finally Anna Lukasiak by 2-1 and bagged her berth into the finals and the Tokyo Olympics.

7. Bajrang Punia, (Men's Freestyle 65 kg)

Bajrang Punia is a freestyle Indian wrestler in the 65 kg category. He has won medals and made our nation proud by succeeding in many prestigious international competitions. The 27 years aged wrestler has three gold medals after his name at the World Wrestling Championships. He was also the third rank holder in the world in the initial months of 2020. After that, he started winning consecutively in the world championship and the Matteo Pellicone Event which was held in Rome. These wins made him qualified for the Tokyo Olympics.

8. Sumit Malik (Men's Freestyle 125 kg)

Sumit Malik, the Indian Freestyle Wrestler, defeated Aiaal Lazarev of Kyrgyzstan by 2-2, Alexandr Romanov of Moldovan by 2-2, and Rustam Iskandari of Tajikistan by a huge margin of 19-5. And after such consecutive spectacular performance by him, he has been qualified for the Tokyo Olympics.

The year 2025 is going to be exciting for Indian sports fans as it promises an action-packed calendar. This includes world events in hockey, squash, boxing, badminton, shooting and cricket, alongside the National Games and Khelo India competitions. The country is set to witness a wide range of sporting events this year. 

Also Read: Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2024: Full Winners List

After bidding goodbye to an eventful 2024, an exciting 2025 awaits sports fans as far as India are concerned. India will host several big competitions across sports this year, including the Women’s ODI World Cup and the Para World Athletics Championships.

Apart from hosting competitions, India will also take part in several multi-nation tournaments internationally, including the ICC Champions Trophy which will be held in a hybrid model with matches taking place in Pakistan and UAE.

Also Read: ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 schedule announced

Several Indian athletes and teams, including the likes of Neeraj Chopra and Manu Bhaker, will be in action this year. The India women’s cricket team will hope to end a long wait to possibly clinch the Women’s ODI World Cup.

Here’s the complete list of major sports events in India 2025.

Major sports events in India 2025

Wherever Neeraj Chopra goes, he does not return empty-handed. This series started in 2016 when this rising star made a record for the first time at the Under-20 World Athletics Championships. From that day itself, we got a glimpse of the future to come, in which many records were to be made and broken one after the other. On Thursday night of 8 August, Neeraj maintained the same trend in the Paris Olympics 2024 and got his name registered in history. So, it's time we take a look at every Neeraj Chopra records that he has made in his tremendous career so far.

Also Read: Neeraj Chopra’s best throws: Here are all the top throws by javelin ace Neeraj Chopra

Every Neeraj Chopra records you should know

• First Indian to win Olympic medal in athletics: At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Neeraj Chopra produced a historic performance in the men's javelin throw event. Neeraj won the gold medal in the final with a throw of 87.58m, giving India its first Olympic medal in athletics. With this win, Neeraj Chopra also became the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal in a track and field event at the Olympics.
• First Indian to win silver at World Athletics Championships: Star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra won a historic silver medal at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon. He recorded a throw of 88.13m in his fourth attempt to claim the second spot. Chopra thus is the first Indian to win a silver medal at the World Athletics Championships and only the second medallist from the country after Anju Bobby George in 2003.
• First Indian track and field athlete to win world championship: Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal at the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland. With this win, the then 18-year-old Neeraj became the first Indian track and field athlete to become a world champion in any event and any age level.
• First Indian World Record holder in track & field: Neeraj Chopra Threw 86.48m at the junior championships in Poland to win the title. With this, he set the new under-20 world record, beating the 84.69m mark established by the previous holder, Latvia's Zigismunds Sirmais. Neeraj’s 86.48m attempt at Bydgoszcz still stands as both the U20 world record as well as the U20 Asian record in the javelin throw.
• Indian national javelin throw record holder: Neeraj Chopra’s best attempt to date came at the Stockholm Diamond League 2022 in Sweden on June 30, 2022, where he managed his personal best of 89.94m to establish the new national record.
• First Indian to win javelin throw gold at Asian Games: Neeraj Chopra is the first Indian javelin thrower to win a gold medal at the Asian Games. Before him, Gurtej Singh was the only men’s javelin thrower from the country to win a medal – bronze at the 1982 New Delhi Asian Games. Neeraj threw  88.06m to claim the 2018 Asian Games title.
• First Indian to win a Diamond League meet: Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian to win a Diamond League meet after he topped the field in Lausanne in 2022. With a depleted field that had world champion Anderson Peters missing, the Indian comfortably led the charts with an 89.08m throw, in his first attempt. 
• First Indian to become Diamond League champion: Neeraj Chopra is the first Indian athlete in history to clinch the Diamond League trophy, by winning the Zurich Diamond League 2022 Final. The Indian ace recorded a best throw of 88.44m to beat Tokyo 2020 silver medallist and 2016 champion Jakub Vadlejch to the title.
• First Indian to become world champion: Neeraj Chopra became India's first world champion after he clinched the gold medal in the men's javelin throw final at the World Athletics Championships 2023 in Budapest with an effort of 88.17m. It was Neeraj Chopra's second straight medal at the world championships after his silver at Oregon 2022.
  

Also Read: India at Olympics: India's Olympic medal tally by every edition

Neeraj Chopra Records: Best throws at major competitions

India's history in the Olympic Games is 124 years old. From Paris 1900 to Paris 2024, India at Olympics has been very special. Tokyo Olympics 2020 was the most successful year for India and the country had the second best performance in the Paris Olympics 2024.

Also Read: All-time Olympic medal tally: USA top with 2,629 medals; India placed at 58

In the Olympic history spanning over 100 years, India has won a total of 41 medals, which include 10 gold, 10 silver and 21 bronze. Hockey has been the most fruitful sport for India in terms of medals. Interestingly, India has won 8 out of 10 gold medals only in men's hockey. Apart from this, India has succeeded in winning medals in boxing, wrestling, tennis, badminton, shooting, athletics and weightlifting. Here is India's Olympic medal tally by every edition. 

India at Olympics

1900 Paris Olympics | 2 Medals

• Norman Pritchard - Silver - Men's 200m hurdles
• Norman Pritchard - Silver - Men's 200m sprint

India first participated in the Paris Olympics in 1900, with Norman Pritchard winning 2 silver medals in athletics (men's 200 m and men's 200 m hurdles). He became India's first medal winner in the Olympics. With this, India became the first Asian country to win an Olympic medal. Pritchard was the first Indian (British-Indian) athlete to win more than one Olympic medal for the country.

1928 Amsterdam Olympics | 1 Medal

• India men's hockey team - Gold - Field hockey

India won their first-ever gold medal at the Olympics in men's hockey. Dhyan Chand led a dominant team to gold, kicking off a streak of six consecutive gold medals.

1932 Los Angeles Olympics | 1 Medal

• India men's hockey team - Gold - Field hockey

India secured their biggest-ever win (24-1 vs USA) en route to their second consecutive gold in men's hockey.

1936 Berlin Olympics | 1 Medal

• India men's hockey team - Gold - Field hockey

Dhyan Chand made it a hat-trick of gold medals for India, defeating Germany in the men's hockey final.

1948 London Olympics | 1 Medal

• India men's hockey team - Gold - Field hockey

India won their first-ever Olympic medal as an independent nation, with no surprise as to its origin. A new generation of hockey players led by Balbir Singh Sr. continued India's dominance.

1952 Helsinki Olympics | 2 Medals

• India men's hockey team - Gold - Field hockey
• KD Jadhav - Bronze - Men's wrestling (bantamweight)

India got its first individual Olympic medal in the 1952 Olympics when Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav created history in wrestling. Initially he was not selected in the team and later on the request of the Maharaja of Patiala, he got a place in the team. Jadhav, who won the bronze medal, could not get a chance to play in the Olympics again and he started working in Maharashtra Police.

The Indian men's hockey team made it five in a row, with Balbir Singh Sr. increasing his legend with a superb performance in the final.

1956 Melbourne Olympics | 1 Medal

• India men's hockey team - Gold - Field hockey

As far as team sports are concerned, the Indian men's hockey team had set a record by winning 6 consecutive gold medals in the Olympics between 1928 and 1956. This is an Olympic feat not bettered in a team event apart from USA's basketball teams. 

1960 Rome Olympics | Medals

• India men's hockey team - Silver - Field hockey

India reached double digits in their Olympic medal tally but it wasn't a gold in men's hockey as expected, with a Balbir Singh Sr. - less India losing to Pakistan in the final.

1964 Tokyo Olympics | Medals

• India men's hockey team - Gold - Field hockey

The Indian men's hockey team faced Pakistan in the final for a third consecutive time but won gold this time.

1968 Mexico City Olympics | 1 Medals

• India men's hockey team - Bronze - Field hockey

The Indian men's hockey team failed to reach the final for the first time in the last eight Olympics, losing in the semifinal to Australia and then beating West Germany to win bronze.

Also Read: 10 athletes to watch out for at Paris Olympics 2024

1972 Munich Olympics | 1 Medal

• India men's hockey team - Bronze - Field hockey

India made it 10 consecutive medals for the men's hockey team, as well as the nation, which went medal-less in 1976. A loss to Pakistan in the semifinal was followed by a win over Netherlands to win bronze.

1980 Moscow Olympics | 1 Medal

• India men's hockey team - Gold - Field hockey

The Indian men's hockey team returned to the summit, after a catastrophic 1976 Olympics and won gold. It would be Indian hockey's last medal until the bronze in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

1996 Atlanta Olympics | 1 Medal

• Leander Paes - Bronze - Men's singles, Tennis

Leander Paes did the work of getting the country, which was very enthusiastic about hockey, interested in tennis. In the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Paes made it to the semi-finals and there he had to face defeat against Andre Agassi. The bronze medal won by Paes is India's first and only Olympic medal which has come from tennis. This medal came after returning empty-handed from 3 consecutive Olympics.

2000 Sydney Olympics | 1 Medal

• Karnam Malleswari - Bronze - Women's weightlifting (54kg)

Karnam Malleswari is the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal. She won a bronze medal in weightlifting in the 2000 Olympics. In this event, she lifted a weight of 240 kg.

2004 Athens Olympics | 1 Medal

• Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore - Silver - Men's double trap shooting

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore is the first Indian to win a silver medal in shooting. He is also the first Indian to win an individual silver medal. He achieved this feat in 2004.

2008 Beijing Olympics | 3 Medals

• Abhinav Bindra - Gold - Men's 10m air rifle shooting

• Vijender Singh - Bronze - Men's middleweight boxing

• Sushil Kumar - Bronze - Men's wrestling (freestyle 66kg)

Abhinav Bindra won the gold medal in shooting in the 2008 Olympics held in Beijing. He became the first player to win an individual Olympic gold for India.

2012 London Olympics | 6 Medals

• Gagan Narang - Bronze - Men's 10m air rifle shooting

• Vijay Kumar - Silver - Men's 25m rapid-fire pistol shooting

• Saina Nehwal - Bronze - Women's singles, Badminton

• Mary Kom - Bronze - Women's flyweight boxing

• Yogeshwar Dutt - Bronze - Men's wrestling (freestyle 60kg)

• Sushil Kumar - Silver - Men's wrestling (freestyle 66kg)

India doubled their best-ever tally at the Olympics, with six medals taking their overall tally to 26. Saina Nehwal won India's first-ever badminton medal, with five-time world champion Mary Kom becoming the first Indian woman to win a boxing medal (only because this was the first edition of women's boxing at the Olympics). Sushil Kumar also became the first Indian to win two individual Olympic medals.

2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics | 2 Medals

• Sakshi Malik - Bronze - Women's wrestling (58kg)

• PV Sindhu - Silver - Women's singles, Badminton

India were swiftly brought back down to earth after the success of London, with only two medals in Brazil. PV Sindhu won her first Olympic medal, while Sakshi Malik became the first (and till date, only) Indian woman wrestler to win an Olympic medal.

Also Read: How many sports will there be at the Paris Olympics 2024? Which are the new ones?

2020 Tokyo Olympics | 7 Medals

• Mirabai Chanu - Silver - Women's weightlifting (49kg)

• PV Sindhu - Bronze - Women's singles, Badminton

• Lovlina Borgohain - Bronze - Women's welterweight boxing

• India men's hockey team - Bronze - Field hockey

• Ravi Kumar Dahiya - Silver - Men's wrestling (freestyle 57kg)

• Bajrang Punia - Bronze - Men's wrestling (freestyle 65kg)

• Neeraj Chopra - Gold - Men's javelin throw

The Covid-affected Tokyo Olympics proved to be India's most successful ever, with seven medals taking India's overall tally to 35 medals. PV Sindhu became the first Indian woman to win multiple Olympic medals, while the Indian men's hockey team ended their 41-year medal drought. Neeraj Chopra won the nation's first-ever gold medal in Athletics (and only the second individual gold ever by an Indian).

2024 Paris Olympics | 6 Medals

• Silver - Neeraj Chopra - 2024 Paris - Athletics men’s Javelin throw
• Bronze - Manu Bhaker - 2024 Paris - Shooting women’s 10m air pistol
• Bronze - Manu Bhaker - 2024 Paris - Shooting 10m air pistol mixed team
• Bronze - Sarabjot Singh - 2024 Paris - Shooting 10m air pistol mixed team
• Bronze - Swapnil Kusale - 2024 Paris - Shooting men’s 50m rifle 3 positions
• Bronze - Men’s Hockey Team - 2024 Paris - Men’s field hockey
• Bronze - Aman Sehrawat - 2024 Paris - Wrestling men’s 57kg freestyle

The Paris Olympics 2024 proved to be India's second joint most successful ever, with six medals taking India's overall tally to 41 medals. Manu Bhaker brought two bronze medals home, one in individual event and one in mixed event with Sarabjot Singh in the 10m air pistol. Swapnil Kusale also won bronze in shooting, winning in the Men's 50m rifle 3 positions. 

The Indian Men's Hockey Team also won bronze and held their postiion at the top in terms of winning the most medals at the hockey event at the Olympics. Neeraj Chopra couldn't bring gold home this time but clinched a silver medal to extend India's medal tally. India were missing out on the Wrestling and Aman Sehrawat filled that gap by winning the fifth bronze medal for India at the Paris Olympics.

Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist boxer Lovlina Borgohain won a silver medal in the women's 75kg category at the Czech Grand Prix 2024 in Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic.

In the round-robin tournament, Lovlina Borgohain won against Chantelle Reid of England but lost to Cindy Ngamba and Li Qian. Borgohain lost her final match against the reigning Asian Games champion late on Saturday night by a margin of 2-3.

Also Read: Amit Panghal earns India's fifth Paris Olympics 2024 quota in Boxing

Qian is a two-time Olympic medalist and has three World Championship medals, including one gold to her name.

Four boxers were included in the women's 75 kg category in this tournament organized under the aegis of World Boxing. Borgohain, Refugee Boxing Team's Cindy Ngamba, Li Qian, and England's Chantelle Reid - and it is being held in a round-robin format.

Borgohain managed only one win in the tournament

Lovlina Borgohain managed only one win in the tournament, losing two of her three matches. This boxer from Assam had won her first match against England's Chantelle Reid by a split decision in a tough match, but later she had to face defeat from Cindy Ngamba and Li Qian. 

Lovlina gunning for her second Olympic medal

The 26-year-old boxer, who is the only Indian to participate in the tournament, is gunning for her second Olympic medal as she is one of the six Indian boxers to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024.

Also Read: Nishant Dev achieves Paris Olympic quota, becomes the first male boxer to do so

Indian boxing team for Paris Games

The Indian boxing team for Paris 2024 is a mix of experienced Olympians and rising stars. In the women's category, Borgohain is joined by two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen (50 kg), Preeti Pawar (54 kg), and Jasmine Lamboria (57 kg). The men's team includes Amit Panghal (51 kg), and Nishant Dev (71 kg).