Who among the following won silver medal in Tokyo Olympic 2021? Select the correct answer from code given below - (A) Ravi Kumar Dahiya (B) P. V. Sindhu (C) Bajrang Punia (D) Mirabai Chanu Code -
- (1)(A) and (B)
- (2)(B) and (C)
- (3)(A) and (D)
- (4)(A) and (C)
Answer
Why
Correct — option (3), (A) and (D).
Check each athlete's medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, held in 2021, against PIB's releases.
(A) Ravi Kumar Dahiya — silver. On 5 August 2021 he lost the men's freestyle 57 kg final 4–7 to Zaur Uguev of Russia and took silver.
(B) P. V. Sindhu — bronze, not silver. On 1 August 2021 she beat He Bing Jiao of China 21–13, 21–15 in the women's singles bronze medal match.
(C) Bajrang Punia — bronze, not silver. On 7 August 2021 he beat Daulet Niyazbekov of Kazakhstan 8–0 for bronze in the men's freestyle 65 kg.
(D) Mirabai Chanu — silver. On 24 July 2021 she won the women's 49 kg weightlifting silver, India's first medal of the Games, with a total lift of 202 kg.
So the silver medallists are A and D: (A) and (D).
The idea to remember: India's two Tokyo silvers came from Mirabai Chanu (weightlifting) and Ravi Kumar Dahiya (wrestling).
Why the others are wrong
- (1)(A) and (B) — Option (1) is right about Ravi Kumar Dahiya but wrong about P. V. Sindhu, who won bronze in women's singles badminton at Tokyo.
Sindhu does hold an Olympic silver, but from Rio 2016. PIB noted that the Tokyo bronze made her the first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals.
- (2)(B) and (C) — Option (2) names two bronze medallists, not silver medallists.
P. V. Sindhu won bronze in women's singles badminton on 1 August 2021, and Bajrang Punia won bronze in the men's freestyle 65 kg on 7 August 2021.
- (4)(A) and (C) — Option (4) pairs the two wrestlers. Ravi Kumar Dahiya won silver in the 57 kg, but Bajrang Punia won bronze in the 65 kg.
PIB recorded Punia's bronze as India's sixth medal of the Games. The other silver went to weightlifter Mirabai Chanu.
Concept
At the Olympic Games, the final decides gold and silver: the winner takes gold and the loser takes silver. In badminton, a separate match decides bronze. In freestyle wrestling, two bronze medals are awarded in each weight category.
So "lost the final" means silver, while "won the bronze medal match" means bronze.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics were postponed because of COVID-19 and held in 2021, but kept the name Tokyo 2020.
RPSC's 2021 syllabus lists "Games and Sports related activities." under Current Affairs.
PIB's releases trace India's medals at Tokyo in order. Mirabai Chanu won the first on 24 July 2021. Ravi Kumar Dahiya's silver was the fifth, after Chanu, Sindhu, Lovlina Borgohain and the men's hockey team. Bajrang Punia's bronze was the sixth.
Neeraj Chopra's javelin gold on 7 August 2021 was the seventh, which PIB called the country's highest ever medal haul.
Key facts
- Mirabai Chanu: silver, women's 49 kg weightlifting, 24 July 2021 — India's first medal at Tokyo.
- Ravi Kumar Dahiya: silver, men's freestyle 57 kg wrestling, 5 August 2021.
- P. V. Sindhu: bronze, women's singles badminton, 1 August 2021; her second Olympic medal after silver at Rio 2016.
- Bajrang Punia: bronze, men's freestyle 65 kg wrestling, 7 August 2021 — India's sixth medal.
- Neeraj Chopra's javelin gold took India's Tokyo tally to seven, beating the six medals of London 2012.
Silver medallists: A and D, option (3). Source: PIB releases of 24 July, 1, 5 and 7 August 2021.
Study next
Common traps
- Career medal versus Tokyo medal: P. V. Sindhu has an Olympic silver, but from Rio 2016; at Tokyo she won bronze.
- Same sport, different medals: both Ravi Kumar Dahiya and Bajrang Punia are wrestlers, but only Dahiya won silver.
- Winning the last match is not always gold: Sindhu and Punia won their final matches, which were bronze medal matches.
A question can list athletes and ask which of them won a particular medal at a Games.
A question can also name an athlete and ask the event or weight category, or ask which medal was India's first at those Games.
Related PYQs
UnlockIAS will link similar questions from RAS Pre 2016 and 2013 here once those papers are published on this site.
Practice
- practice — not a real PYQ
Who won India's first medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics?
- (a)Mirabai Chanu
- (b)P. V. Sindhu
- (c)Lovlina Borgohain
- (d)Neeraj Chopra
Answer(1) — PIB reported on 24 July 2021 that Mirabai Chanu's silver in the women's 49 kg weightlifting was India's first medal at Tokyo. Options (2) and (3) won bronze medals later, and option (4) won gold on 7 August 2021, India's seventh medal. - practice — not a real PYQ
In which category did Ravi Kumar Dahiya win a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics?
- (a)Men's freestyle 65 kg
- (b)Men's freestyle 57 kg
- (c)Men's freestyle 74 kg
- (d)Men's Greco-Roman 60 kg
Answer(2) — PIB reported that he lost the men's freestyle 57 kg final to Zaur Uguev and took silver. Option (1) is the category in which Bajrang Punia won bronze; options (3) and (4) are not Dahiya's category.