All eyes are on the Paris Olympics 2024, which will begin on July 26. 184 countries are going to participate in this event. India had performed the best till then by winning 7 medals in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This time India has sent a team of 112 athletes. From wrestling to badminton, the performance of Indian athletes has improved in different sports and there are hopes of medals in it. Especially in shooting, India would like to end the 12-year drought, because this time the largest shooting team (21) has been sent. Before that, let us know about the 2004 Athens Olympics, which changed the picture of shooting in the country.

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore created history in Athens

In the Athens Olympics, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore surprised everyone with his performance in shooting. He became the hero of the country overnight by winning silver in the men's double trap event. He was the first shooter to win an Olympic medal for India. Not only this, he became the first player to win silver in an individual sport after independence. He laid the foundation of India in shooting, the result of which was that the love for this sport increased in India.

Inspired by him, Abhinav Bindra won a gold medal for India at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Bindra then inspired Gagan Narang to win a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics. However, it has been 12 years since then and there has been no medal in this sport. But, many shooters have emerged and qualified for the Olympics.

How did Rathore achieve this success?

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore had served as a colonel in the Indian Army. He was a part of the army in the 1999 Kargil war against Pakistan. Gradually he made his career in sports. Before the Athens Olympics, he was a part of the shooting team in the Indian Army since 1998 and used to train for it. After the war ended, he was sent to the 2002 Commonwealth Games, where he won a gold medal. After this, he went to Italy to prepare for the 2004 Athens Olympics. There he trained hard for 2 years under the supervision of Olympic gold medalist Russell Mark and former world champion Luca Marini, the fruits of which he got in Athens, Greece.

Many athletes missed out on medals

In the 2004 Athens Olympics, 73 athletes from India participated in 14 different sports. In this edition, only the hockey team of India was able to qualify in the team sport. All the athletes tried very hard, but they could not succeed in winning the medal. Many players came close to the medal, but could not get it. The pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes finished fourth in tennis. Kunjarani Devi also finished fourth in weightlifting.

Hockey team disappointed

India has a golden history in the Olympics. The Indian hockey team first entered the Olympics in 1928. While making its debut in the Olympics, the Indian hockey team won the gold medal. After this, before independence, India won the gold medal in 1932 and 1936. After independence, the Indian hockey team disintegrated, yet the winning streak continued. Till 1980, India won a total of 11 medals in hockey, then the decline started, which continued in Athens as well. However, the Indian team could not even reach the semi-finals in it.