Which Indian player has won Gold Medal in Olympics?
- (a)Gagan Narang
- (b)Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore
- (c)Abhinav Bindra
- (d)Sushil Kumar
Correct — C, Abhinav Bindra. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics he won gold in the men's 10 m air rifle event, becoming the first Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal. (Every earlier Indian Olympic gold had been won by the men's field-hockey team.)
- (a)Gagan Narang — A shooter, but he won bronze in the 10 m air rifle at the 2012 London Olympics — not gold.
- (b)Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore — Won silver in men's double trap shooting at the 2004 Athens Olympics — India's 2004 Athens individual Olympic silver, but not a gold.
- (d)Sushil Kumar — Wrestler who won bronze at Beijing 2008 and silver at London 2012 — two Olympic medals, but no gold.
An individual Olympic gold medal is the peak achievement for a single athlete. Before 2008, all of India's Olympic golds had been won by the men's hockey team; Abhinav Bindra's 2008 shooting gold was the first individual one. The next individual gold came from Neeraj Chopra (javelin throw) at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021.
The trap is that all four names are genuine Indian Olympic medallists — but three won silver or bronze. Match each athlete to the exact colour of medal: only Bindra's is gold.
- Abhinav Bindra — gold, 10 m air rifle, Beijing 2008; India's first individual Olympic gold.
- Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore — silver, double trap shooting, Athens 2004.
- Gagan Narang — bronze, 10 m air rifle, London 2012.
- Sushil Kumar — bronze (2008) and silver (2012) in wrestling.
- Confusing medal colours — Rathore (silver) and Narang / Sushil (bronze) are not gold
- Assuming India's very first Olympic gold was individual — the early golds were team hockey
PCS and UPSC ask 'who won India's first individual Olympic gold' or match the athlete to event and medal — anchor Bindra to 2008 and the 10 m air rifle gold.
In which Olympics Games did India last win a Gold Medal?
- (a) Montreal (1976)
- (b) Moscow (1980)
- (c) Los Angeles (1984)
- (d) Atalanta (1996)
Answer(b) Moscow (1980)
Same concept — India's Olympic gold medals. This 2006 question points to the hockey gold at Moscow 1980; Bindra's individual gold came two years later, at Beijing 2008.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Abhinav Bindra won his 2008 Olympic gold medal in which sport?
- (a)Archery
- (b)Shooting (10 m air rifle)
- (c)Wrestling
- (d)Boxing
Answer(b) Shooting — 10 m air rifle at Beijing 2008.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Who won India's first individual Olympic gold medal?
- (a)Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore
- (b)Abhinav Bindra
- (c)Neeraj Chopra
- (d)Karnam Malleswari
Answer(b) Abhinav Bindra — Beijing 2008.