There is this popular idiom - So near, yet so far. That's something many Indian athletes over the years have learnt the hard way, especially at showpiece events like the Olympics. Many of them have agonizingly finished fourth at Olympics over the last century. Here's a look at the stars who missed out on a podium finish by a whisker.
Aditi Ashok (2020 Tokyo Olympics)
Indian golfer Aditi Ashok is the latest on the list. The talented golfer ensured that many woke up early to tune in to the sport that not many in India watch or understand.
All of this thanks to her brilliant performance over the week, where Aditi held on to the second position for the first three days of the competition. Many fans across the country were cheering for her, hoping that she would clinch a medal. But the final day proved to be very costly for the young golfer as she dropped from second to fourth position.
In the final round, Aditi finished fourth with a three-under 68, which left her 15-under 269 overall at the par-71 Kasumigaseki Country Club. In the end, what separated her from a medal was one shot. If only...!
Indian Women's Hockey Team (2020 Tokyo Olympics)
The Indian women's team had their best run at the Olympics in a very long time. The Rani Rampal-led side started with three consecutive losses, but went on to win their next two matches to make it to the quarterfinal.
In the quarters, they shocked heavyweights Australia 1-0. In the semis, they lost to Argentina. Though the women's team put up a brave fight in the bronze medal match against Great Britain, they ended up on the losing side with a narrow scoreline of 3-4.
Dipa Karmakar (2016 Rio Olympics)
Dipa Karmakar became an overnight star after her stunning performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The young gymnast attempted the 'Produnova Vault', which is considered the most dangerous artistic gymnastics vault. Despite a brilliant show, Dipa Karmakar lost the bronze medal by a whisker and finished fourth.
Abhinav Bindra (2016 Rio Olympics)
At Rio, Abhinav Bindra, India's first and only individual Olympic gold medallist till Neeraj Chopra joined him on Saturday, was confident of adding another medal to the gold at Beijing. Bindra went on to score an impressive 163.8 in the final of the Men's 10m Air Rifle event, but it was not enough to place him on the podium and he settled for the fourth position.
Sania Mirza-Rohan Bopanna (2016 Rio Olympics)
Another heartbreaking loss for India at the 2016 Rio Olympics came with the defeat of tennis stars Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna in the mixed doubles event. The duo went on to win their first two rounds before losing in their semis and the eventual bronze-medal match. With their defeat, India's wait for another tennis medal at the Olympics continued.
Joydeep Karmakar (2012 London Olympics)
Ace Indian shooter Joydeep Karmakar, ended up fourth in the Men's 50m Rifle Prone event. Karmakar scored 104.1 in the final with a total of 699.1. He ended just behind bronze-medal winner Rajmond Debevec.
Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati (2004 Athens Olympics)
The 2004 Olympics was yet another year of heartbreak for Indian tennis fans. Established doubles pair of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati won their first three rounds with ease, winning in straight sets. But things did not go as planned for the 'Indian Express' as the number five-seeded pair lost their semifinal match in straight sets.
Despite their valiant effort in the bronze-medal match, they lost to the Croatian pair of Ivan Ljubičić and Mario Ančić 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 16-14. It was one of the longest tennis doubles ties in Olympics history.
Kunjarani Devi (2004 Athens Olympics)
Weightlifter Kunjarani Devi was yet another Indian who ended up missing out on the podium finish at the Olympics. Kunjarani Devi, who took part in the women's 48kg division, ended up lifting 190kgs.
But her effort was not enough to find her a place on the podium as she was 10kgs behind bronze medalist Aree Wiratthaworn.
PT Usha (1984 Los Angeles Olympics)
PT Usha, the name that every Indian who follows sports still remembers, was agonizingly close to winning a medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. But the ace sprinter finished fourth in the women's 400m hurdles, clocking 55.42 seconds and missing the bronze by one-hundredth of a second!
Indian Women's Hockey Team (1980 Moscow Olympics)
Just like at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Indian women's hockey team that played in the 1980 Moscow Games also ended up in the fourth position. The 1980 Moscow Olympics was the first time the Indian women's hockey team qualified for the Games.
They had a successful start, winning their first two matches against Poland and Austria respectively, but they lost the plot from there.
The Indian team was not able to win their next three games, where they faced defeats at the hands of Czechoslovakia and hosts USSR, and played out a draw against eventual champions Zimbabwe.
Milkha Singh (1960 Rome Olympics)
This is one story most people know. The legendary Milkha Singh missed out on a podium finish at the 1960 Rome Olympics by just 0.1 second. 'The Flying Sikh', as he is lovingly called by fans, clocked 45.6 seconds in the Men's 400m sprint, a mere 0.1 second behind bronze medalist Malcolm Spence, who clocked 45.5 seconds.
Indian Men's Football Team (1956 Melbourne Olympics)
Despite the fact that India is currently not even in the top 100 of FIFA rankings, there was a time when the Indian football team was one of the best in Asia.
The Indian team had a good run in the tournament, where they defeated the hosts Australia in the quarterfinals, thanks to a hat-trick by Neville D'Souza. But the team went on to be completely outplayed by Yugoslavia in the semis and Bulgaria in the bronze-medal match.
Randhir Shindes (1920 Antwerp Olympics)
Randhir Shindes was the first Indian to have come very close to being placed on the podium, but ended up finishing fourth. India had sent a very small contingent, which consisted of just five members at Antwerp.
Wrestler Shindes took part in the featherweight category, where he went on to win his first bout. He marched on to the semifinal but lost that match and the bronze-medal tie, eventually finishing fourth.