Published By: Admin

India & Fourth: A Sour Combination That Led to Narrow Misses at the Games

In the Indian Olymic folklore of near-misses, young shooter Arjun Babuta joins the list of legends like Milkha Singh and PT Usha.

India has had its share of close calls at the Olympic Games, with athletes narrowly missing out on podium finishes on several occasions. Here is a look at some notable instances where Indian athletes finished fourth, highlighting the near-misses that have become part of the country’s Olympic narrative.

Indian Men’s Football Team (1956, Melbourne)

The 1956 Melbourne Olympics saw the Indian men’s football team advance to the semifinals, marking a historic achievement. Led by Neville D’Souza, who became the first Asian player to score a hat-trick at the Olympics, India defeated Australia 4–2 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Neville’s early goal against Yugoslavia gave India hope, but a strong comeback from Yugoslavia led to a defeat. The Indian team then lost 0–3 to Bulgaria in the bronze medal match, ending their remarkable run with a fourth-place finish.

Milkha Singh (1960, Rome)

Known as the “Flying Sikh,” Milkha Singh’s performance in the 400m race at the 1960 Rome Olympics remains one of India’s most remembered Olympic moments. Milkha easily passed the heats and improved his timing significantly in the quarter-finals. In the final, he was in the lead pack and seemed poised for a podium finish. However, a slight slowdown before the final turn allowed South Africa’s Malcolm Spence to edge him out for the bronze. Milkha finished just 0.1 seconds behind Spence, ending in fourth place.

PT Usha (1984, Los Angeles)

PT Usha came agonizingly close to winning a medal in the 400m hurdles at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. She made history by becoming the first Indian athlete to win an Olympic semifinal. In the final, Usha ran a superb race, clocking 55.42 seconds, but missed the bronze by 1/100th of a second to Romania’s Cristina Cojocaru. This narrow miss remains one of the closest in Olympic history.

Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi (2004, Athens)

The celebrated tennis duo of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi finished fourth in the men’s doubles at the 2004 Athens Olympics. They faced Croatia’s Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic in the bronze medal match. After a grueling contest that lasted nearly four hours, Paes and Bhupathi lost 7–6 (5), 4–6, 16–14, narrowly missing out on a medal.

Joydeep Karmakar (2012, London)

At the 2012 London Olympics, shooter Joydeep Karmakar narrowly missed out on a bronze medal in the 50m rifle prone event. He set an Olympic record in the qualifying stage but finished fourth in the finals with a score of 699.1, just 1.9 points short of the bronze medal winner’s 701.0. Despite his consistent performance in the finals, Karmakar could not secure a place on the podium.

Dipa Karmakar (2016, Rio de Janeiro)

Dipa Karmakar made history as the first Indian female gymnast to compete at the Olympics, finishing fourth in the women’s vault final at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. Known for attempting the challenging Produnova vault, Dipa scored 14.866 on her first attempt and 15.266 on her second. Despite her impressive performance, she finished just 0.150 points behind Switzerland’s Giulia Steingruber, missing the bronze medal.

Indian Women’s Hockey Team (2020, Tokyo)

The Indian women’s hockey team had a remarkable run at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, finishing fourth after a close bronze medal match against Great Britain. Despite coming back from a 0–2 deficit to equalize, India lost 4–3. Goals from Gurjit Kaur and Vandana Katariya kept India in contention, but they couldn’t find a late equalizer. This fourth-place finish was a significant improvement from their last-place finish at Rio 2016.

Aditi Ashok (2020, Tokyo)

Indian golfer Aditi Ashok delivered an exceptional performance in the Women’s Golf Individual Strokeplay at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, finishing fourth. Aditi, ranked World №200, was in medal contention until the final round, where she ended just outside the bronze medal position after 72 holes. Her performance against higher-ranked opponents was commendable, but she narrowly missed out on a podium finish.

Arjun Babuta (2024, Paris)

Young shooter Arjun Babuta is the latest Indian athlete to experience the heartbreak of finishing fourth at the Olympics. Competing in the men’s 10m air rifle event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Babuta was a strong contender throughout. However, his final shot of 9.5 points left him just short of a medal. This debut performance places Babuta among the notable Indian athletes who have narrowly missed Olympic glory.