India competed at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. It was the nation's first appearance at the modern Olympic Games. This marked the first participation of an Asian country in the Olympic Games.
| India at the 1900 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 Flag of India | |
| IOC code | IND |
| NOC | Indian Olympic Association |
| Website | olympic |
| in Paris | |
| Competitors | 1 in 1 sport |
| Medals Ranked 19th |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
One athlete, Norman Pritchard, participated in athletics.[a] He competed in five events and won two silver medals. Until 2020, these were the only medals won by India in athletics. India was classified 19th in the overall medal table, which represents its best ever placement till date.
Background
editThe Indian Olympic Association was recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1927.[5] However, by this time, the nation had already competed in four Olympic Games.[6] This edition at Paris marked the nation's first appearance at the Summer Olympics.[7] This marked the first participation of an Asian country in the Olympic Games.[8] India was classified 19th in the overall medal table, which represents its best ever placement till date.[9]
Medalists
editOne athlete, Norman Pritchard, participated in athletics.[a] He competed in five events and won two silver medals.[3][10] Until 2020, these were the only medals won by India in athletics.[11]
| Medal | Name | Sport | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Silver |
Norman Pritchard | Athletics | Men's 200 metres hurdles | July 16 |
| Silver |
Norman Pritchard | Athletics | Men's 200 m | July 22 |
Competitors
editThe following is the list of number of competitors per sport/discipline.[4]
| Sport | Athletes |
|---|---|
| Athletics | 1 |
| Total | 1 |
Athletics
editNorman Pritchard competed in five events at the Games.[3] In the 200 m hurdles, he set a then Olympic record 26.8 seconds in the semifinals. In the final, he won the silver with a timing of 26 seconds after USA’s Alvin Kraenzlein registered a new Olympic record of 25.4 seconds to win the gold.[12][13] In the 200 m, he finished second in the semifinals to qualify for the final. In the final, he registered another second place with a time of 22.8 seconds after Walter Tewksbury of the USA won gold with a time of 22.2 seconds.[12][14]
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Semifinal | Repechage | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Norman Pritchard | 60 m | 7.1 | 3 | — | Did not advance | ||||
| 100 m | 11.4 | 1 Q | Unknown | 3 | 11.0 | 2 | Did not advance | ||
| 200 m | Unknown | 2 Q | — | 22.8 |
| ||||
| 110 m hurdles | 16.6 | 1 Q | — | DNF | |||||
| 200 m hurdles | 26.8 | 1 Q | n/a | 26.0 |
| ||||
Legend: Q = Qualified for the next phase.
Notes
edit- ^ a b In the track and field statistics published by the World Athletics prior to the 2004 Summer Olympics, Pritchard was listed as having competed for Great Britain in 1900. Pritchard was chosen to represent Great Britain after competing in the British AAA championship in June 1900.[1][2] But he was born in India and the International Olympic Committee regards him as having competed for India.[3][4]
References
edit- ^ Wallechinsky, David (2000). The Complete Book of the Olympics. Aurum Press.
- ^ Ian Buchanan. "Who was Norman Pritchard?". Journal of Olympic History (January 2000). International Society of Olympic Historians: 27–28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2008.
- ^ a b c "Norman Prichard". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ a b "India's first Olympics: A debut in Paris 1900 and beyond". Olympics.com. 11 July 2021. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "India – National Olympic Committee (NOC)". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ "India". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
- ^ "India at the Olympics". Olympedia. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "India at the 1900 Paris Summer Games". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- ^ "Medal table, Paris 1900". Olympic museum. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "Athletics Results, Paris 1900s". Olympedia. Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "Tokyo Olympics 2020: Neeraj Chopra wins historic Gold in javelin throw, India's first athletics medal in 100 yrs". The Economic Times. 7 August 2021. Archived from the original on 8 August 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Indian Olympic medal winners: A comprehensive list". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "Results 200m hurdles, Paris 1900". Olympedia. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "Results 200m, Paris 1900". Olympedia. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2024.