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India's Olympic journey in Paris 2024 was marked by a series of near misses, with five athletes finishing just shy of the podium. Arjun Babuta, Dhiraj Bommadevara, Ankita Bhakat, Manu Bhaker, and Lakshya Sen all came agonizingly close to securing a medal, but ultimately fell short.Babuta narrowly missed out on a bronze in the men's 10m air rifle shooting, finishing fourth with a score of 208.4. In the mixed team archery event, Bommadevara and Bhakat made history by becoming the first Indian archers to reach the semi-finals, but lost in the bronze medal match to the USA.Manu Bhaker, who had won two Olympic medals in previous editions, came close to a third in the women's 25m pistol shooting final. However, a series of poor shots near the end caused her to drop to fourth place after a shoot-off against Hungary's Veronika Major.Badminton star Lakshya Sen's hopes of becoming the first Indian male shuttler to win an Olympic medal were dashed in the semi-finals by Denmark's Victor Axelsen. In the bronze medal match, he lost to Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia, crushing his dreams of a podium finish.India's shooting contingent also faced disappointment in the mixed skeet bronze-medal match. Maheshwari Chauhan and Anant Jeet Singh Naruka lost by a single point to China, finishing fourth overall.Despite these near misses, the Indian athletes displayed immense skill and determination. They join a list of 17 other Indian athletes who have finished fourth in their respective events at the Olympics, including wrestling legend Randhir Shinde, track and field icon Milkha Singh, and tennis duo Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati.These fourth-place finishes serve as a testament to the growing competitiveness of Indian athletes on the global stage. While they may not have reached the podium, their performances have inspired a nation and set the stage for future Olympic success.

India's Olympic Journey: A History of Near MissesIndia's Olympic history is marked by a series of tantalizingly close finishes, where athletes have come within a hair's breadth of the podium but ultimately fallen short. These near misses have left an enduring legacy of both agony and inspiration.1956 Melbourne: FootballThe Indian football team made a remarkable run to the semifinals, defeating hosts Australia in the quarterfinals. However, they were unable to overcome Yugoslavia in the semifinals and lost the bronze medal match to Bulgaria.1960 Rome: AthleticsLegendary sprinter Milkha Singh narrowly missed out on a bronze medal in the 400m final. He slowed down to glance at his competitors, costing him a mere 1/10th of a second. This heartbreaking loss haunted him for the rest of his life.1980 Moscow: Women's HockeyWith top hockey nations boycotting the Moscow Games, India's women's hockey team had a golden opportunity to medal. However, they narrowly missed out, losing their final match to the USSR and finishing fourth.1984 Los Angeles: AthleticsPT Usha, known as the "Payyoli Express," came within 1/100th of a second of winning a bronze medal in the 400m hurdles. This was the closest an Indian athlete had ever come to a medal in any competition.2004 Athens: TennisLeander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, India's celebrated doubles pair, missed out on a bronze medal after losing a marathon match to Croatia. They had also lost in the semifinals to Germany.2012 London: ShootingShooter Joydeep Karmakar finished just 1.9 points behind the bronze medal winner in the men's 50m rifle prone event.2016 Rio de Janeiro: GymnasticsDipa Karmakar became the first Indian woman gymnast to compete at the Games. She finished fourth in the women's vault event, missing the bronze medal by 0.150 points.2020 Tokyo: Women's HockeyThe Indian women's hockey team once again came close to a medal, but lost to Great Britain in the bronze medal match.2020 Tokyo: GolfAditi Ashok, ranked 200th in the world, came agonizingly close to a podium finish in golf. She ultimately finished fourth.These near misses have left a bittersweet legacy for Indian sports. They have shown the potential of Indian athletes to compete at the highest level, but they have also highlighted the challenges and heartbreak that can come with falling just short of the ultimate prize.