In a 12 months filled with historic firsts for Indian sports activities, these champions shone the brightest. From Virat Kolhi & Satwik-Chirag to Sheetal Devi & Antim Panghal, whose victory was your favorite sporting second of 2023?

Because the 12 months attracts to an in depth, we recall superb moments within the world of sports activities that gave us purpose to really feel proud. Whether or not it was India’s stellar efficiency on the 2023 Asian Video games in Hangzhou, China or Virat Kohli’s phenomenal batting within the World Cup semi-final towards New Zealand, these victories made one factor clear — India and her outstanding pool of sporting expertise is second to none.

Right here we chronicle the sports activities stars of the 12 months who have been the rationale we lifted our heads excessive.

1. Sheetal Devi

This internationally famend archer from Jammu and Kashmir didn’t let her congenital deformity ‘phocomelia’ deter her from pursuing the game. On the younger age of 16, Sheetal shocked the world changing into the world’s first feminine armless archer to win a medal (silver) on the 2023 Para Archery World Championships.

Whereas different archers pleasure themselves on their arm energy and dexterity, Sheetal credit her legs for this. Utilizing her higher physique and decrease limbs to shoot the arrow, Sheetal received three medals within the Asian Para Video games.

2. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty

Because the Indian Nationwide anthem was performed on the badminton medal ceremony on the Asian Video games this 12 months, it made many Indians tear up. This was as a result of, within the historical past of the video games, this was a primary.

The duo defeated the South Korean pair of Choi Solgyu and Kim Wonho to grow to be the World No 1 males’s doubles pair and produce India her maiden badminton gold.

3. R Vaishali and R Praggnanandhaa

What’s extra fascinating than being a grandmaster in chess? Having your sibling share the title! The brother-sister duo made historical past by being the first-ever sibling duo to grow to be grandmasters. This after the 22-year-old Vaishali Rameshbaabu crossed 2500 ranking factors to earn the Grandmaster title on the IV El Llobregat Open in Spain.

Whereas her brother’s journey within the Chess World Cup 2023 ended with no trophy, after being defeated by the world’s top-ranked Magnus Carlsen, he made headlines for changing into the world’s youngest participant to succeed in the finals.

4. Ravi Bishnoi and Shubman Gill

Ravi Bishnoi’s ascent on the earth of cricket was much-talked-about information for his astounding efficiency within the five-game T20I collection towards Australia, the place he claimed 9 wickets incomes him the title of world’s No.1 T20I bowler.

In the meantime, Shubman Gill, the right-hand top-order batsman from Punjab overtook Pakistan skipper Babar Azam to grow to be the world’s top-ranked batsman within the ICC ODI rankings. Gill has seven centuries and 5 half centuries underneath his belt this 12 months.

5. Antim Panghal

The 2-time Beneath-20 world champion from Haryana was simply 10 years previous when she attended her first wrestling programme within the metropolis. She was fascinated. From that day on, Antim accompanied by her elder sister Sarita would make a 20 km commute from their dwelling to Mahavir Stadium in Hisar Metropolis the place they’d practise.

Intent on seeing his daughter comfy, her father quickly relocated with the household nearer to the coaching centre. He ensured the brand new dwelling had a cattle shed. As he shared in an interview with The Hindu, “The buffaloes have been non-negotiable. If my daughter needed to wrestle, she needed to get the most effective weight-reduction plan and I didn’t belief the milk you get in cities.”

6. Virat Kohli

His wins precede his introduction. On 15 November, 2023, within the semi-finals the place India performed towards New Zealand, billions stayed glued to their screens watching Kohli create historical past as he scored a century — thus making his complete of fifty ODI centuries and beating legend Sachin Tendulkar’s report of 49 ODI centuries.

Kohli started his skilled cricket profession in 2002 when he performed for the Delhi Beneath-15 group within the 2002–03 Polly Umrigar Trophy.

7. Neeraj Chopra

The javelin famous person who grew to become the primary Indian to win gold on the World Athletics Championships credit his successes to the triumphs and failures which have formed his journey. Chopra’s gold medal on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was India’s first-ever Olympic medal in athletics and the fruits of a long-standing dream.

The following few years nonetheless have been in restoration for Chopra who had had surgical procedure on his proper elbow. Nonetheless, he quickly bounced again, delivering a stellar efficiency within the Hangzhou Asian Video games.

8. Parul Choudhary

The 28-year-old from Uttar Pradesh shocked the world by successful a gold and silver medal within the Asian Video games. Within the girls’s 5000m race, Choudhary clinched a gold medal after a nail-biting race wherein Choudhary accelerated within the closing few seconds to safe the highest place. 

Choudhary as soon as once more shocked the viewers when she received a silver medal within the 3000m girls’s steeplechase.

(Edited by Pranita Bhat)