India on the rise with latest success in Paris, but where does Pakistan lie on the Olympic stage? Know More

India opened its account at the Paris Olympicsafter 22-year-old shooter Manu Bhaker clinched the nation’s first medal on Sunday (July 28). The tally was doubled on Tuesday when she clinched another bronzein the team’s event as the largest democracy in the world continues its tradition of bagging at least one medal at the Summer Olympics since 1996. In fact, since 1928, India has failed to win a medal at the Summer Olympics on only four occasions (1976, 1984, 1988 and 1992). While India continues to rise, neighbours, Pakistan have endured tough luck in the quadrennial event.

Pakistan’s performance at the Summer Olympic Games

At the time of writing, India had bagged its 37th medal at the Olympics (all in Summer Olympics) while Pakistan is on a run of 32 years without a medal at the quadrennial event. The nation has not won an Olympic medal since the 1992 Barcelona Games when their men’s field hockey team beat the Netherlands for the bronze medal. But hardly anyone associated with the nation would have expected the bronze medal to be the country’s last for a long time.

Breaking down the numbers, Pakistan has won only 10 medals at the Olympics (all in Summer Games). Like India, they gained freedom in 1947 and had a great start to their Olympic career having won medals from 1956 until 1976 with all coming in field hockey. During this period, the Islamic nation won two gold, three silvers and a bronze medal while also losing two bronze medal matches.

Despite no success at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, Pakistan returned to the podium in 1984 and clinched its third and to date last gold medal when they yet again conquered field hockey. They would add one more medal to the field hockey event in the form of a bronze in the 1992 Barcelona Games.

Interestingly, of the 10 medals won in the Olympics by Pakistan, eight have come from field hockey meaning the nation has only two more Olympic medals from other disciplines. In 1960, Muhammad Bashir won a bronze medal in men’s freestyle wrestling while the nation’s last individual medal came in the 1988 Seoul Games when Hussain Shah secured a bronze yet again.

What makes Pakistan’s number more miserable?

While India now has multiple male-female athletes winning medals at the Olympics in different disciplines, the same can’t be said for their nation. To date, no Pakistan female athlete has won an Olympic medal while the country has not seen an individual silver or gold medallist in their entire history. Their run of 36 years without an individual medal is one of the longest in the history of the Olympics.

Who can end the run?

There is a big glimmer of hope this year for Pakistani fans with Arshad Nadeem a top candidate to end the barren run. The Javelin throw athlete almost ended the medal drought in the Tokyo Olympics when he finished fifth. However, this year he is expected to reach the podium as the nation hopes to end its Olympic drought for medals.