Who was the first Indian sportsperson to win an individual Olympic Games gold medal for India?

Introduction / Context:
Olympic medals are a major source of national pride, and India has a long history of success in team events such as men's hockey. However, individual gold medals have been rare. This question tests your knowledge of a historic milestone: the first time an Indian athlete won an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games.

Given Data / Assumptions:

The focus is on individual, not team, Olympic gold medals.
The question asks for the first Indian sportsperson to achieve this feat.
The options list four well known Indian athletes from different sports.
We assume modern Olympic history and official medal records.

Concept / Approach:
India won many gold medals in men's field hockey in earlier decades, but those were team events. The first individual Olympic gold medal for India came at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, when shooter Abhinav Bindra won the gold medal in the men's 10 metre air rifle event. The other athletes listed have won Olympic medals, but not the first individual gold. Sushil Kumar and R. V. S. Rathore are associated with wrestling and shooting medals, mostly silver or bronze, and Leander Paes is known for a bronze in tennis singles, not for a gold.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Distinguish between team gold medals in sports such as hockey and individual gold medals won by a single athlete. Step 2: Recall that Abhinav Bindra won India's first individual Olympic gold medal in the men's 10 metre air rifle event at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Step 3: Examine the other options: Sushil Kumar is a wrestler who has won Olympic medals in wrestling, R. V. S. Rathore is a shooter associated with a silver medal, and Leander Paes is a tennis player with a singles bronze medal. Step 4: Note that none of these other athletes won India's first individual Olympic gold medal. Step 5: Conclude that Abhinav Bindra is the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
For verification, recall that before 2008, India's gold medals at the Olympics came from the men's field hockey team. The Beijing 2008 victory by Abhinav Bindra marked a new chapter because it was the first time an Indian athlete stood alone at the top of the podium in an individual event with a gold medal. Subsequent individual medals by other athletes, including later gold medals in javelin, came after this historic moment. Historical Olympic medal tables confirm Abhinav Bindra as the first individual gold medal winner for India.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Sushil Kumar: He is a celebrated wrestler who won Olympic medals, including silver and bronze, but he did not win the first individual Olympic gold for India.
R. V. S. Rathore: This shooter won a silver medal in the double trap event at the Athens 2004 Olympics, which was a major achievement but not a gold medal.
Leander Paes: The Indian tennis star won a bronze medal in men's singles at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, again not a gold medal and not the first individual gold for India.

Common Pitfalls:
One common error is to confuse the first individual Olympic medal with the first individual gold. Some candidates also mix up silver and bronze medals with gold, or assume that earlier athletes must have won gold simply because they are more senior. Another pitfall is forgetting that team hockey golds, although very important, do not qualify as individual gold medals. Carefully reading the phrase individual Olympic Games gold medal helps avoid these mistakes.

Final Answer:
The first Indian sportsperson to win an individual Olympic Games gold medal is Abhinav Bindra.