(1)1900: Norman Pritchard, a Calcutta student, who while travelling in Paris competes and wins two silver medals at the second of the modern Olympics. He was second in 200m and 200m hurdles, the latter no being part of the Olympic programme.(2)1948: Two years after the formation of the AAFI, India send an eight-member team to London Olympics. Henry Rebello qualifies for the triple jump final, but then is forced to withdraw because of a muscle injury. A tragedy indeed, because Rebello, had a good chance of a medal.(3)1951: As India hosts the inaugural Asian GamesPPP, Lavy Pinto picks up a sprint double, winning the 100m and 200m. A feat only R Gnanasekharan came close to achieving in 1978, winning the 200m and finishing second in 100m.(4)1954: Parduman Singh, possibly India's greatest thrower, grabs a double, winning shot put and discus at Manila Asian Games and he went on to retain his shot put title four years later.(5)1958: The Commonwealth Games in Cardiffsees the emergence of Milkha Singh, who wins the gold medal in 400 yards, as it was then called. The same year he wins again, in 400m at Asian Games.(6)1960: The spotlight remains on Milkha Singh, as he comes tantalisingly close to becoming Independent India's first Olympic athletics medallist. He is beaten into the fourth place by Malcolm Spence of South Africa, whom he had beaten for the gold in Commonwealth Games two years earlier.(7)1964: Even as the Indian athletics community still speaks of Milkha exploits, Gurbachan Singh Randhawa, one of India's finest all-round athletes who won the decathlon at 1962 Asian Games, finishes fifth in 110m hurdles at the Tokyo Olympics. A troublesome shoulder forced him to give up decathlon for hurdles.(8)1976: Sriram Singh, winner of the 800m in Asian Games in 1974 (he won again in 1978) reaches the high point of his career with an entry into the final on his first appearance on a tartan track. He finishes seventh, but the winner, CubanAlberto Juantorena publicly acknowledges that it was the early pace set by the Indian which helped him set a new world record. Sriram's time of 1:45.77 still stands as the Indian record.(9)1978: The pint-sized Hari Chand wins the 5,000-10,00P0m double at the Bangkok Asian Games to re-affirm that the promise he first showed by winning Asian championships in 1975 and then clocking a national record time of 28:48.72 in 10,000m at Montreal Olympics in 1976. It is still the Indian record.(10)1984: PT Usha becomes first Indian woman to make an Olympic track final. But a mere one-hundredth of a second separates her from Christina Cojacaru of Romania and the bronze medal eludes the Indian. But Usha has made history and her time of 55.42 still stands as the Indian record. At the same Games, Shiny Wilson becomes the first Indian woman to enter an Olympic semi-final (in 800m) and the Indian girls also reach the 4 x 400m final, where they finish seventh.(11)1985: The saga of Ushacontinues, as it would through the 1980s. She wins an unprecedented five gold medals 100m, 200m, 400m, 400m hurdles and 4 x 400m and a bronze in 4 x 100m. No one has ever done that in any major continental championships.(12)1998: Jyotirmoyee Sikdar revives memories of Indian domination at Asian level by winning the 800m-1,500m double at the Bangkok Asian Games.
