India after Independence: What has India achieved in sports?

BY A STAFF REPORTER: India's 77th Independence Day will be celebrated on August 15, 2023. In the last seven decades, the country has made great progress and achieved excellence in various fields like technology, industry, armed forces, etc. Similarly, the country has seen many revolutionary moments in the field of sports. 

Let's take a look at some of the iconic moments of Indian sports after Independence:

1) Hockey Gold Medal in 1948 Olympics: India won the first gold medal in hockey since independence at the 1948 London Olympics. India beat England 2-1 to win the gold medal. 

2) The Rise of Football in India: Indian football is gaining popularity but we still have a long way to go before we become one of the best teams at the international level. India's best performance since independence came in 1951 when India won the gold medal at the Asian Games under the able leadership of Syed Abdul Rahim.

3) KD Jadhav made India Proud in the Bantamweight Category: KD Jadhav is one of the first Indian athletes to win a medal at the Olympics. At the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, he won a bronze medal in the bantamweight category to lead India to its first wrestling Olympic medal.

4) India's First Superstar in Athletics Milka Singh Wins Gold: Milkha Singh was India's first athletic superstar after Independence. He was the first Indian to win a Commonwealth gold. He won the gold medal in the 440 yards category at the 1958 Commonwealth Games. 

5) Reached the tennis semi-finals of Wimbledon in 1960: Ramanathan Krishnan reached the tennis semi-finals of Wimbledon for the first time in 1960.

) Prakash Padukone Wins England Open Badminton Championships: Prakash Padukone is india's first badminton star. She won the England Open Badminton Championship in 1980. Unfortunately, he could never participate in the Olympics as badminton was recognised at the 1992 Olympics.

7) Won the Cricket World Cup for the first time in 1983: This is the most iconic moment in the history of Indian cricket as Kapil Dev-led India won their first World Cup by defeating West Indies in the final.

8) Wins World Championship in 2000: Viswanathan Anand became the first Indian to win the World Championship in 2000. He is India's first star in chess and has won five world championships.

9) Won the first Olympic medal in boxing at the 2008: Vijender Singh won the bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics to give India its first Olympic medal in boxing. 

10) Won Gold Medal in Shooting Event at 2008 Beijing Olympics: Abhinav Bindra won a gold medal in the 10 m air rifle shooting event and became the first Indian to win an Olympic gold in an individual event.

11) Won 1st T20 World Cup: There was not much expectation from India in the first T20 World Cup in 2007, but young cricketers under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the T20 World Cup. 

12) Won the 50-over World Cup for the second time in 2011: This time Team India was a strong contender to win the World Cup at home and performed brilliantly to win their second 50-over World Cup, beating Australia in the quarter-finals, Pakistan in the semi-finals and Sri Lanka in the final. 

13) Won Gold in Javelin Throw at 2021 Tokyo Olympics: Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra became the second Indian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympics. She won a gold medal in the javelin throw event at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. This is India's first Olympic gold in track and field events. 

14) Indian Contingent Create History in Special Olympics World Games 2023: At the 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Berlin, India won a total of 202 medals till the final and India made history by winning 202 medals in Berlin. India won a total of 76 gold, 75 silver and 51 bronze medals at the 2023 Special Olympics World Games.