Olympic history (India): First Indian to win an individual Olympic medal. Identify the pioneer who secured India's first-ever individual medal at the Olympic Games.

Topic: India's first individual Olympic medal

Given data

• We seek the first individual Olympic medal by an Indian.

Concept/Approach
Khashaba Dadasaheb (K. D.) Jadhav won bronze in men's freestyle wrestling (bantamweight) at Helsinki 1952, making him independent India's first individual Olympic medallist.

Reasoning steps
Earlier medals were team hockey golds → not individual. Jadhav's 1952 bronze precedes Paes (1996), Rathore (2004), and Bindra (2008; first individual gold).

Common pitfalls

• Confusing the first individual medal with the first individual gold (Bindra in 2008).
• Debates about Norman Pritchard (1900) are often treated separately; standard GK credits Jadhav for independent India.

Final Answer
K. D. Jadhav