India’s Increasing Medal Tally in International Sports

-- Aiman Fawaz Parkar, VIII-C, Indian Central School

Sunday, January 15, 2023

Indian sports have come a long way from what it was years ago. Determination of sportspersons, backed by government and private sector efforts, is reflecting in the country's medal tally.

Some experts say that the Indian contingent’s excellent show at 2010 Common Wealth Games was the turning point for Indian sport, after which players started getting recognized and private sector funding and investments started pouring in. This was immediately reflected in India’s performance in the London Olympics with two Silver and four bronze medals.

In 2014, Virat Kohli became the first cricketer to win back-to-back man of the series awards in the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 and 2016 ICC World Twenty20. Kohli is also the highest scorer in T20Is as of December 2022. In 2017, Ravichandran Ashwin became the fastest cricketer in history to reach 250 wickets. Shreyas Iyer has also scored a whopping 724 runs in 17 matches in ODI 2022.

India has won 16 bronze, 9 silver and 10 gold medals at the Olympics.

Sandeep Singh Maan is an Indian Para athlete competing in Men's 100m, 200m, 400m and Long Jump events in the T46 category. He is bronze medalist in Asian Para Games 2018 held in Jakarta, Indonesia. And three-time silver medalist from the Asian Para Games; he won them at the 2010 and 2014 editions in Guangzhou, China and Incheon, Korea, respectively. He is a national record holder in 200m and 400m since 2012. Sandeep began 2014 with a bang, winning gold medals in both 200m and 400m and even securing a bronze in Long Jump at the FAZAA International Athletics Competition in Dubai (UAE).

PV Sindhu has won titles at every level in the last decade and scripted history on numerous occasions. The Indian Badminton ace has five world championships medals, including a gold, and also has two Olympic medals. These are feats no Indian has ever achieved.

PV Sindhu’s achievements on the court have won her several awards, including some of the highest national honours of India.

Chungneijang Mary Kom Mangte, popularly known as MC Mary Kom, has been one of India’s leading sporting superstars over the last two decades. At the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, Mary Kom won her first Asian Games medal, a bronze in the flyweight division. The Manipuri then claimed a gold medal at the Asian Games in 2014 held in Incheon, South Korea to become the first Indian woman boxer to win the Asian Games title.

Mary Kom holds the distinction of winning 8 World Championship medals. No other boxer (either male or female) in the world holds such a feat. She has won 6 gold 1 silver and 1 bronze in the competition in her illustrious career. The last one came in Russia in 2019.

The national game always has a special corner in everyone’s heart. Be it Indians striving for gold as an independent team or representing as the ancient team of British India. The journey of Indian hockey has been a roller coaster ride with ample of uphill and downhill bumps. But at the hard work of the team made them shine like a glorious star. After becoming a member of International Hockey Federation, Indian hockey started rooting itself strong. India played its first Olympics where it hit hard to capture gold and managed to do so. With a spectacular team, India managed to be an unbeaten hockey team by winning 6 gold medals in Olympics in a row.

Indian hockey strived through all odds to win the World cup in 1975. By far the Indian team has been the most successful team in the Olympics with a total of 8 gold, one silver, and 2 bronze.

Describing Indian hockey would be incomplete if I miss mentioning Dhyan Chand. He was, is and will continue to be considered as the face of Indian hockey. Who served as winning inoculum to the Indian hockey.

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra made athletics history in Lausanne on August 26, 2022, becoming the first Indian to win a Diamond League event. The 24 year old javelin thrower who won the silver at the World Championships in the USA, also a first for the country opened with an impressive 89.08m and that turned out to be the winning throw in the end.

Chopra also qualified for the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary by breaching the 85.20m qualifying mark. Chopra had finished second in the Stockholm leg of the prestigious event behind Peters with a national record throw of 89.94m, just 6cm short of the 90m mark, the gold standard in the world of javelin throw.

India’s increasing medal tally inspires all the Indians to do their best in whatever circumstances occur. If we want something, we should work to accomplish it. It also teaches us all a lesson that sports unites everyone and that we shouldn’t give up if we don’t achieve success.

Happy Republic Day India!!

“When people throw stones at you, you turn them into milestones.”

THANK YOU

Aiman Fawaz Parkar, VIII-C, Indian Central School