Athens: Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won independent India's first ever-individual silver medal in the Olympic games in Athens today (Aug 17, 2004).

The 24-year-old former army Major scored a total of 179 points to finish second in the double-trap shooting event at the Markopoulo Shooting Centre.

Rathore, who was fifth going into the six-man final, kept his nerves to pip his closest competitor, Wang Zhang of China, by one point in a tense 25-round medal decider.

The gold went to Sheikh Ahmed Al-Maktoum (189) of United Arab Emirates.