The first Indian to compete in the Olympics was Norman Pitchard, an Indian of British descent who took home two silver medals in 1900 in Track and Field Events. India’s tranquil and progressive environment made it difficult to raise players who could compete on a global scale after independence. Nonetheless, a few competitors established India’s mark in competitions, inspiring a new breed of athletes. Neeraj Chopra’s gold medal at the Olympics in Tokyo 2020 marked India’s transition to track and field competitions. Chopra did not set a personal record nor the national record for the Indian javelin with his gold-winning throw of 87.58 meters.
Nation Records in the Track and Field Events
- Many national records have been set in the Indian athletics scene in a variety of categories, such as the long jump, 4x100m, 4x400m, 1500m, 3000m, 5000m, 110m hurdles, 400m hurdles, and 3000m steeplechase.
- Makananta Hoblidhar established the 100-metre national record in Bengaluru in 2023 during the National Open Athletics Championships.
- Amlan Borgohain broke the 200-metre national record in the Federation Cup 2022. Muhammad Anas Yahiya established the national record in the 400 metres at the 2019 Kladno Athletics event.
- Jinson Johnson broke the 800-metre national record in Guwahati, India, in 2018 at the National Inter-State Championship. At the 2019 ISTAF Berlin meet, Jinson Johnson established the national record for the 1500 metres.
- Gulveer achieved the national record for the 5000 metres. The national record for the 4×100-metre relay was established by A. Qureshi, Shameer Mon, Rahamatulla Molla, and Suresh Sathya.
- At the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Muhammad Anas Yahiya, Amoj Jacob, Muhammad Ajmal, and Rajesh Ramesh established a new national record for the 4x400m relay.
- At the 2023 National Open Race Walking Championships, Akshdeep Singh established the national record for the 20-kilometre race walk. At the Indian Open Throws Competition in 2023, Jeswin Aldrin held the national record for the long jump.
- In a variety of sports, national records have been made by Praveen Chithravel, Mayookha Johny, Tejaswin Shankar, Subramani Siva, Rosy Meena Paulraj, Tajinder Pal Singh Toor, Abha Khatua, Vikas Gowda, Kamalpreet Kaur, Neeraj Chopra, Annu Rani, and Tejaswin Shankar.
- New national records have been set by the men’s triple jump, high jump, pole vault, shot put, discus throw, hammer throw, javelin throw, decathlon, and heptathlon.
Track and Field Legends of India
Milkha Singh
- Known by his other nickname, “the Flying Sikh,” Milkha Singh was the first Indian athlete to achieve notable success in the world of athletics following India’s freedom.
- Having raced in the 200- and 400-metre races in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, he became well-known.
- At the National Games in Cuttack in 1958, Singh advanced in his preparation and broke records in the 200- and 400-metre races.
- He also won the 400-metre gold medal, India’s first in the Commonwealth Games.
- His career did, however, take a turn for the worse during the 1964 Olympics, where he competed in the 4x400m relay team event and placed fourth in the preliminary round.
PT Usha
- Indian track star PT Usha, often called the Payyoli Express, is a highly skilled athlete who has won several medals in international competitions.
- She was born in Kerala and didn’t do well at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. She took home silver in the 100- and 200-metre races in 1982.
- She set an Asian record in the 400-metre race when she won her first international gold medal at the Asian Track and Field Championships in Kuwait in 1983.
- At the 1986 Asian Games, she took home four gold medals and one silver. She had a two-year hiatus from athletics before winning another gold medal with the Indian 4×400 relay team in the 1998 Asian Championships.
- The Padma Shri award was given to PT Usha.
Anju Bobby George
- Anju Bobby George began her athletic career as a heptathlon competitor and is now India’s most accomplished long jumper.
- She broke through at the Delhi Junior Asian Championships in 1996 and went on to achieve a national record in the triple leap in 1999. She took home gold in both the long and triple jump events in the Ludhiana National Games in 2001.
- She took home gold in the Asian Games and bronze at the Commonwealth Games in 2003. At the World Championship in Paris, Anju became the first Indian athlete to take home a medal.
- She was a strong candidate for the gold medal in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, however, she was unsuccessful. She kept winning medals until 2008, although she was unable to surpass her 6.83-meter Olympic record from Athens.
Conclusion
Track and field competitions have a long history in India, where notable athletes like Neeraj Chopra, Amlan Borgohain, and Jinson Johnson have established national records. Athletics success has also been attained by Milkha Singh, PT Usha, and Anju Bobby George. Singh broke records at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, Usha placed second in international championships, while Anju Bobby George established records in the long jump and triple leap.
