As Indian athletes await the start of London Olympics 2012, which is slated to begin on July 27, to give it a shot at grabbing the medals at London, here is a look at how many medals India has won so far in the most prestigious event, Olympic Games. Also read: Facts on Olympic Games

London Olympics 2012 Specials

Though the country's list of medal winners nor the medals aren't fabulous when compared to other nations, there are a few athletes who have time and again proved their worth in Olympics.

So far, India has won 20 medals in Olympics having appeared in 21 editions, though the ratio is less, here is a quick look at the athletes who have made India proud at the Olympics. With 9 Gold medals, 4 Silver and 7 Bronze, India look to grab many this time around at London.

Also Read: Facts on Olympic Medals

How many of us are aware of the first athlete to win an Olympic medal for our country? Ask about various sports, especially cricket, we might have all the stats on our fingertips but somehow we miss out on such crucial, important details.

Well that's not our fault though, as Indians are crazy about cricket, there is nothing wrong in it, but knowing the details, names of athletes who strive for excellence at a global level is a must and shouldn't be ignored.

Coming back to the first medal winner for India in Olympics, Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav won a bronze medal in Wrestling at the 1952 Helsinki Games.

After Jadhav's feat, the government in order to honour him, re-christened the wrestling venue in the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, New Delhi as K D Jadhav Stadium.

The national sport, Hockey has contributed the most to India's medal tally in Olympics so far, as the Hockey team has won 11 medals, of which 8 were gold, one silver and two bronze medals.

While 7 athletes have won the Olympic medal in individual events and have made India proud over the years.

After Jadhav, it was India's Tennis sensation Leander Paes to create waves at the Olympic Games, as he won the bronze medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, during the singles event of Lawn Tennis.

In the next Olympics Karnam Malleshwari, weight lifter from Andhra Pradesh stole the show as she became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal at the Sydney Olympics 2000.

Also Read: Offbeat facts on London Olympics 2012

While Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won the silver medal for India in the 2004 Athens Olympics, which was then considered to be the best individual performance by an Indian athlete after Independence.

But Abhinav Bindra shot to fame in the next edition of Olympic Games in 2008 as he became the first individual to win a gold medal for India in Beijing Olympics 2008.

Vijender Singh also became the first boxer to win an Olympic medal while Sushil Kumar also won a bronze medal in the same edition of Olympic Games in 2008.

Though its been a small list, Indian athletes aim for more medals this time around at the London Olympics. With a few potential candidates, India can except a few medals for sure.

OneIndia News