India have won a total of 10 gold medals at the Olympic stage out of which eight have been won by the Indian Hockey team. The hockey team’s legendary affair with the Olympic gold started way back in 1928, when the iconic Dhyan Chand led team bagged the ultimate prize at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics.
BET NOW: Exclusive sign-up offers and bonuses when you bet on sporting action
However, a long drought followed following the 1980 Olympics, as the Indians went medal-less for 41 years in the competition in field hockey. The agonizing drought was finally broken by the Men in Blue at the Tokyo Olympics as they defeated Great Britain in a thrilling 4-3 encounter to win the bronze medal.
As the Indian hockey contingent once again gears up for the 2024 Paris Olympics that kicks off in a few days time, in today's story with The Sporting News, we take a look at India’s unprecedented success in the past at the Olympics in field hockey.
All of India’s Olympic medals in men's Hockey
Gold Medal - Amsterdam 1928
As we saw previously, Dhyan Chand’s team bagged India’s first-ever medal at the Olympic stage. They defeated the Netherlands in the Final of the tournament to clinch the gold in Amsterdam in the year 1928. The team scored a total of 29 goals in the tournament with Dhyan Chand finishing his tally at 14 goals.
Gold Medal - Los Angeles 1932
After announcing their presence at the Olympic stage four years earlier, the Indian hockey contingent once again won the Gold in the LA Olympics in 1932. With just three nations competing in the event due to the period of the Great Depression, India thumped both their opposition, Japan and the USA to clinch their second consecutive Olympic gold.
READ MORE: When India created Olympics history - Complete list of Indian firsts at the Games
Gold Medal - Berlin 1936
The unstoppable Indian completed a hat-trick of gold medals at the Berlin Olympics in 1936. Dhyan Chand’s men defeated the hosts Germany in the gold medal clash by an 8-1 scoreline. Dhyan Chand himself scored four goals in that game.
Gold Medal - London 1948
1948. A year just after India’s freedom, India kept their rampant run in the Olympics intact as they clinched another gold, this time in London. The Men in Blue once again defeated the host nation in the gold medal clash. The Kishan Lal-led team defeated Great Britain at the iconic Wembley Stadium.
Gold Medal - Helsinki 1952
India’s fifth consecutive gold medal came at the Helsinki Olympics in the year 1952 in Finland. This time the team had to face the harsh and cold weather in Finland, which took its toll on their performance in the early stages of the tournament. However, the Indians acclimatized them to Finland’s chilly atmosphere and once again finished first at the podium.
Gold Medal - Melbourne 1956
India’s record sixth consecutive medal in the Olympics came at the Melbourne Olympics in 1956. The team displayed unparalleled dominance at the event as they won all their games without conceding a single goal throughout. They defeated arch-rivals Pakistan 1-0 in the Final at Melbourne to clinch the gold.
READ MORE: India's top medal contenders at 2024 Olympics - Complete list
Silver Medal - Rome 1960
India’s utter dominance in field hockey at the Olympics finally came to an end in the Rome Olympics of 1960 as they were bested by Pakistan in the Final. Pakistan avenged their loss from the previous Olympics with the same scoreline crushing India’s hopes of winning their seventh consecutive gold at the Olympic stage.
Gold Medal - Tokyo 1964
After the heartbreaking loss to Pakistan four years ago, India were back to their very best in the Tokyo Olympics in 1964. In the third straight India vs Pakistan Final in the Olympics, the Indians bested their neighbouring country with the very scoreline of the past two finals, 1-0. The win handed India their seventh Olympic gold.
READ MORE: Indian wrestlers at 2024 Paris Olympics - Full squad, draws and schedule
Bronze Medal - Mexico City 1968
India crashed out in the semi-finals of the 1968 Olympics after losing to Australia in Mexico City. However, they did manage to win the bronze medal match against West Germany. Balbir Singh scored the winner in the final as India won their first-ever bronze medal in field hockey at the Olympic Games.
Bronze Medal - Munich 1972
India once again crashed out at the semi-final stage of the Olympics in 1972 against Pakistan in Berlin. However, they once again won the bronze medal match, this time defeating the Netherlands with a narrow 2-1 margin.
READ MORE: Indian shooters at 2024 Olympics - Schedule, matches and draws
Gold Medal - Moscow 1980
After years of dominance in field hockey, India had returned home medal-less for the first time in the 1976 Olympics. Four years later, when the team entered the pitch at the Moscow Olympics, they made sure all the ghosts of their past were buried as they went on to win their record eighth gold medal at the Olympics. After a resounding 16-0 win against Tanzania in the opening game, the Indians never looked back as they went on to win a thrilling Final against Spain 4-3.
However, the success in Moscow also marked the end of their dominance and their last gold medal at the Olympics in hockey. After 1980, the Indian hockey team remained medalless at the Olympics for 41 years to come.
READ MORE: Indian boxers at 2024 Olympics - Schedule, matches and draws
Bronze Medal - Tokyo 2020
The Tokyo Olympics of 2020 were pushed ahead a year due to the worldwide pandemic of the COVID-19 virus. Entering the grand event in 2021, the Indian hockey team carried a huge burden on their shoulders, the responsibility of ending the 41-year medal drought.
Although the team couldn’t clinch gold, they did secure a bronze by defeating Great Britain in the bronze medal match 4-3. This marked the dawn of a new era in Indian hockey, and with the team in great form as of late, they are expected to go all the way in Paris.
Bronze Medal - Paris 2024
Harmanpreet Singh and Co. completed back-to-back Bronze medal wins in Paris as they beat Spain 2-1 in the third-place match. India narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Gold Medal game as they went down to Germany 3-2, however, they made amends and delivered India yet another Olympic medal.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Learn more >