India officially participated in Olympics in1928, which was held in Amsterdam. The Indian Hockey Team made its debut and also won the first ever gold medal for the country. It went on to win five more gold medals till 1956. However, India's gold winning spree was short-lived. After winning two more gold medals in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and the 1980 Moscow Olympics, Indian's dream run in hockey came to an end. Since 1900, India has won 17 medals in Olympic Games. This year when Abhinav Bindra won the first individual Olympic gold medal in Men's100 metre Air Rifle event in Beijing, the entire nation burst into an array of celebration. Indians were pinning their hopes of more gold from other players, but their hopes were shattered when tennis star Sania Mirza retired from first round of women's singles due to an injury. Shooter Rajyavardhan Rathore, who won a silver for India in 2004 Athens Olympics, failed to qualify for the finals of men's double trap event in Beijing. Similarly, Indian shutter Saina Nehwal's dream of winning a gold were shattered when she lost in the quarterfinals of women's singles. India has won only one gold in Beijing Olympics so far. It's good to celebrate a gold but should we not lament the loss of several others in a nation with a billion plus population? Meanwhile, it's pouring gold medals on China, the host of 2008 Olympics. It's time we pause and search our soul, just one Gold in a billion plus country! Though India and China have almost similar population, why can't India match China in the medal tally?
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