We’ll leave cricket players out of this list for obvious reasons. Firstly of all 12 nations play cricket of any international standard whereas, in other sports, our athletes compete with literally hundreds of countries. Secondly, Indian cricket players (by that I mean the men of course) are already more famous and better paid than most other Indian sportspersons can hope to be. So, this National Sports Day we look at other athletes who have made India proud.
He is known to be one of the greatest hockey players in the history of the sport. He was largely thought to be responsible for three consecutive Olympic gold medals in 1928, 1932 and 1936. It is Major Dhyan Chand Kushwaha's birthday that we observe as National Sports Day each year.
With more and more Indians leading unhealthy, sedentary lives that result in lifestyle diseases, sport assumes great importance. In a society what values academic performance and sidelines athletic ability, sport needs encouragement, funding and mainstreaming. Playing a sport keeps us fit and it helps us develop a sense of fair play and team spirit as well.
The ‘queen of Indian track and field’ came within a whisker of winning an Olympic medal and has won numberless others. She inspired millions of Indians at a time when India's athletic performance was not highly regarded.
She has won six tennis grand slam titles in her career and has been India’s No 1 tennis player. Yet in her home state, her image and that of P T Usha got mixed up on National Sports Day --- evidence of the ignorance and apathy that all sports except men's cricket face in our country.
In the past, this middle distance runner won gold medals at the 2016 South Asian Games and 2017 Asian Championships. At the last Asian Games she won a bronze medal and most recently, she won gold medal at the 2019 Doha Asian Athletics Championships.
Current national champion in the 100 m event, she is only the third Indian woman to qualify for her event at the summer Olympics. Not only has she won laurels for the country recently, she is also a fearless voice of India’s LGBTQ community.
She won five gold medals at various international meets in July 2019 alone. She is the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal in a track event at the IAAF World U20 Championships.
P V Sindhu is arguably one of India’s best ever athletes. Already an Olympic silver medalist, she is our best hope for an individual Olympic gold; particularly after recently winning the BWF gold medal.
At the BWF para badminton championship, this Indian athlete also quietly won a gold medal. View the full picture in Hima Das’s congratulatory tweet to know why her achievement should awe and humble us all.
Apart from all of her many, many achievements in boxing over the years, Mary Kom adds yet another feather to her cap: she was named the Best Asian female athlete, at the first-ever 'Awards for Asia ceremony organised by the Asian Sportswriters Union (AIPS Asia). This National Sports Day, let’s take a moment to marvel at the way these athletes have achieved what they have, mostly against some very great odds.
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