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Indian Athletes’ Heartbreaking Fourth-Place Finishes at the Olympics

The Olympic Games, a pinnacle of athletic achievement, have witnessed countless triumphs and heartbreaks. For Indian athletes, the agony of finishing just outside the medal positions has been a recurring theme. Here’s a comprehensive list of Indian athletes who came tantalizingly close to the podium but ultimately fell short:

Dinkarrav Shinde (Antwerp 1920): Wrestler Dinkarrav Shinde could have become India’s first Olympic medalist, but he suffered a heartbreaking loss in the men’s featherweight bronze playoff.

Keshav Mangave (Helsinki 1952): India’s first individual Olympic medalist, KD Jadhav, was joined by wrestler Keshav Mangave, who narrowly missed out on a bronze medal in the featherweight category.

Indian Football Team (Melbourne 1956): After defeating hosts Australia in the semi-finals, the Indian football team lost to Yugoslavia and Bulgaria in the third-place match.

Milkha Singh (Rome 1960): Perhaps the most famous fourth-place finish in Indian sports, Milkha Singh missed the bronze medal in the men’s 400m by a mere 0.13 seconds, setting a National Record that stood for 44 years.

Sudesh Kumar & Prem Nath (Munich 1972): India could have won three medals in hockey instead of one bronze, but wrestlers Sudesh Kumar and Prem Nath finished fourth in their respective freestyle categories.

PT Usha (Los Angeles 1984): India’s second major athletics heartbreak after Milkha Singh, PT Usha missed the bronze medal in the women’s 400m hurdles by one hundredth of a second.

Rajinder Singh (Los Angeles 1984): Another missed medal in Los Angeles, wrestler Rajinder Singh lost the bronze medal playoff in the men’s freestyle 74kg category.

Leander Paes/Mahesh Bhupathi (Athens 2004): After winning a men’s singles bronze in Atlanta 1996, Leander Paes could have become India’s first individual double Olympic medalist, but he and Bhupathi lost a close third-place contest in men’s doubles tennis.

Kunjarani Devi (Athens 2004): Weightlifter Kunjarani Devi finished fourth in the women’s 48kg category, but she needed to lift an additional 10kg to reach the podium.

Joydeep Karmakar (London 2012): With two shooting medals already won, Joydeep Karmakar was on the verge of another in the men’s 50m rifle prone final, but he ultimately finished fourth.

Abhinav Bindra (Rio de Janeiro 2016): Having won the men’s 10m air rifle gold eight years earlier, Bindra finished fourth in the same category in Rio 2016.

Sania Mirza/Rohan Bopanna (Rio de Janeiro 2016): Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna were favorites for a mixed doubles tennis medal, but they lost in the third-place match.

Dipa Karmakar (Rio de Janeiro 2016): In a remarkable feat, Dipa Karmakar finished fourth in the women’s vault final, becoming the first Indian gymnast to reach an Olympic final.

Aditi Ashok (Tokyo 2021): Golfer Aditi Ashok surprised audiences by finishing the first three rounds in second position, but she dropped to fourth on the final day, missing the medal by just a stroke.

Indian Hockey Team (Tokyo 2021): The Indian women’s hockey team stunned Australia in the quarter-finals but lost a close semi-final against Argentina and the bronze playoff against Great Britain.

Arjun Babuta (Paris 2024): Arjun Babuta was in contention for a medal in the men’s 10m air rifle final, but a couple of poor shots saw him drop to fourth place at the last minute.

These fourth-place finishes serve as a testament to the talent and determination of Indian athletes. While they may not have reached the podium, their performances have inspired countless others and left an indelible mark on Indian sports history.