Olympics 2024: Who were the First and Last Athletes to participate for India at Paris Olympics?

India has wrapped up another eventful Olympic campaign as the journey at the Paris Olympics 2024 is on its last legs.

A 117-member Indian contingent has returned with 6 medals so far, which may stay at that if the final performer Reetika Hooda doesn't get an opportunity for a Bronze medal match.

The stars from Tokyo 2021 mostly failed to replicate their heroics except Neeraj Chopra, while the nation has witnessed new heroes emerging, especially in the shooting department. The Indian Hockey team also had a fantastic outing as they managed to equal their Tokyo achievements by getting a Bronze medal in Paris.

Manu Bhaker was the standout performer, with 2 Bronze medals. She won medals both at the individual and mixed team events of 10m Air Rifle. Neeraj managed a Silver in Javelin while Swapnil Kusale and Aman Sehrawat have also clinched Bronze for India in 50m Shooting and Freestyle Wrestling respectively.

As the journey of the Indian contingent comes to an end in the fortnight-long quadrennial event, they have shown promise for the future years. India's medal tally could have significantly raised but it didn't as many athletes missed out on a medal by a whisker. Lakshya Sen, Arjun Babuta, Manu Bhaker (in 25m Air Rifle event), India's mixed Archery team finished 4th in the Olympics. Also, Vinesh Phogat's controversial ban has so far denied India a medal, but she may still end up with a Silver medal if the verdict from the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) goes in her way.

Who was the First Athlete for India in Paris Olympics 2024?

India's women's archery players Ankita Bhakat, Bhajan Kaur and Deepika Kumari were the first performers at this Olympic event. They took part in the Individual Ranking Round on July 25.

In the main event, it was Balraj Panwar who started India's journey on July 27. He participated in the Men's Single Sculls Heats and reached the Final D stage of the competition.

Who was the Last Athlete for India in Paris Olympics 2024?

The last athlete to feature for India in the Paris Olympics was Reetika Hooda. She participated in Women's 76kg freestyle wrestling and was beaten in the quarterfinals stage on August 10. She still may have a chance to win a bronze medal via repechage.