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India’s 117-member contingent is all set to take on their opponents in the next 15 days and will strive hard for the nation’s glory at the Paris Olympics 2024. A total of 21 shooters will participate in the forthcoming edition of the Olympics, which is set to begin on Friday, July 26. In one of the previous editions of the global sporting spectacle, Athens 2004, India went with 73 athletes, who competed in 14 sports.
The 2004 edition of the tournament saw India participating in only one team-based sport, men’s field hockey. However, to everyone’s surprise, the shooting team returned with a silver. Then Captain Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore became the first Indian to win an individual silver medal at the Olympics.
Rathore won India’s first-ever silver medal in an individual event at the Olympics. On the fourth day, the double-trap shooter brought good news to millions waiting back home. In the final, Rathore finished second in the final of the event as he scored 44 out of 50 in the final round. His overall score of 179 gave him the silver medal. He didn’t begin well and shot 135 out of 200 in the preliminary round but was placed fifth and went through.
The Indian went on to hit his target often but UAE’s Shaikh Al Maktoum, a member of Dubai’s ruling family got an unassailable lead and won his country’s maiden Olympic medal, a gold.
