A controversy has erupted among Olympic historians over whether the Subedar with the Rajputana Rifles can be described as the first winner of a track and field medal for India in the Games.
On the sidelines of Neeraj Chopra’s historic ‘golden throw’ in Tokyo, a controversy has erupted among Olympic historians over whether the Subedar with the Rajputana Rifles can be described as the first winner of a track and field medal for India in the Games. Should the honour not belong to Kolkata’s Norman Pritchard, the athlete-turned-Hollywood actor who won two silver medals at the 1900 Paris Olympics?
The jury is clearly divided. The doyen of Olympic historians, Ian Buchanan, wrote a lengthy article in the Journal of Olympic History (January 2000) arguing that Pritchard was British and that he was sent to the Paris Olympics by the British Amateur Athletics Association (AAA).