India has won a total of 10 gold medals at the Olympic Games, of which 8 have been won by the Indian hockey team. The Olympic gold medal legend of the hockey team dates back to 1928, when the iconic Dhyan Chand-led team won the highest prize at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics.
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However, after the 1980 Olympics, India went into a long drought of 41 years without a medal in field hockey, a painful drought that was finally broken at the Tokyo Olympics when India defeated Great Britain in a thrilling 4-3 match to win the bronze medal.
As the Indian hockey contingent once again gears up for the 2024 Paris Olympics, which begins in a few days, today's Sporting News article looks at some of the unprecedented success India has had in Olympic field hockey in the past.
All Olympic medals for India's men's hockey
Gold Medal – Amsterdam 1928
As mentioned earlier, Dhyan Chand's team won India's first Olympic medal by defeating the Netherlands in the final in Amsterdam in 1928. The team scored a total of 29 goals in the tournament, with Dhyan Chand scoring 14 goals.
Gold Medal – Los Angeles 1932
Having made its presence felt on the Olympic stage four years earlier, the Indian hockey team once again won gold at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1932. Despite only three nations taking part in the competition during the Great Depression, India outshone rivals Japan and the United States to win their second consecutive Olympic gold medal.
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Gold Medal – Berlin 1936
This unstoppable Indian won three gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Dhyan Chand's team defeated hosts Germany 8-1 in the gold medal match. Dhyan Chand himself scored four goals in that match.
Gold Medal – London 1948
1948. Just a year after India gained independence, the country continued its Olympic success with another gold medal win, this time in London. The Indians, dressed in blue, once again defeated the hosts in the gold medal match. Led by Kishan Lal, the Indian team defeated Great Britain at the famous Wembley Stadium.
Read more: Can the Indian men's hockey team reach the podium again? How have they performed since the Tokyo Games?
Gold Medal – Helsinki 1952
The last time India won five consecutive gold medals was at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics in Finland. On that occasion, the team faced severe cold in Finland which adversely affected their performance in the early stages of the tournament. However, the Indian athletes adapted to the cold Finnish weather and once again topped the podium.
Gold Medal – Melbourne 1956
India's record six consecutive Olympic medals came at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. The team dominated the tournament unparalleled, winning all their matches without conceding a single point. They went on to win the gold medal in the Melbourne final, beating arch rivals Pakistan 1-0.
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Silver Medal – Rome 1960
India's dominance in field hockey at the 1960 Rome Olympics finally came to an end when they lost to Pakistan in the final. Pakistan avenged their loss in the previous Olympics by the same score, ending India's hopes of winning a seventh consecutive Olympic gold medal.
Gold Medal – Tokyo 1964
After a heartbreaking defeat to Pakistan four years earlier, India returned to their best form in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. It was the third consecutive final between India and Pakistan at the Olympics, and India defeated their neighbours by the same scoreline as in the previous two finals, 1-0. The victory secured India their seventh Olympic gold medal.
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Bronze Medal – Mexico City 1968
India lost in the Olympic semi-finals to Australia in Mexico City in 1968, but triumphed in the bronze medal match against West Germany, with Balbir Singh scoring the winning goal to help India win its first Olympic bronze medal in field hockey.
Bronze Medal – Munich 1972
In 1972, India lost again to Pakistan in the semi-finals of the Berlin Olympics, but won again in the bronze medal match, this time beating the Netherlands by a narrow 2-1 margin.
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Gold Medal – Moscow 1980
After years of dominance in field hockey, India returned home without a medal for the first time in the 1976 Olympics. Four years later, the team erased all past demons when they took to the pitch at the Moscow Olympics and won a record eighth Olympic gold medal. After a thumping 16-0 victory over Tanzania in the opening match, India also won a thrilling 4-3 final against Spain and never looked back.
But their success in Moscow marked the end of their dominance and their last Olympic gold medal in hockey: since 1980, the Indian hockey team had gone 41 years without winning an Olympic medal.
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Bronze Medal – Tokyo 2020
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics were postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Going into the mega event in 2021, the Indian hockey team bore a huge burden on their shoulders to end a 41-year-long medal-less streak.
Though the team did not win the gold medal, they did beat Great Britain 4-3 in the bronze medal game to claim the bronze medal. This marks the beginning of a new era for Indian hockey and with the team on a good run of recent form, they are favourites to win in Paris.
