Independence Day 2024: A Look At India's Top Five Sporting Moments

India have achieved a lot of success in the sports post-Independence. Cricket has overshadowed the growth of other sports for sure, but a considerable amount of growth can be seen. Let's revisit India's five best moments in sports after Independence.

1. Hockey Gold After 12 Years In Olympics

After gaining independence, the Indian men's hockey team achieved a significant milestone by winning a gold medal in the London Olympics in 1948. This victory marked India's first gold medal at the Olympics in 12 years. Before this, India had secured gold medals in hockey at the 1928, 1932, and 1936 Olympics. That gold medal is also special because it came from the land of the British Empire, which was ruling India before 1947. Some of the players in the Indian team had little or no experience because many good hockey players went to Pakistan after the partition.

2. India Finished 4th In Football In 1956 Olympics

At the Melbourne Olympics in 1956, the Indian football team, led by coach Syed Abdul Rahim, achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first Asian team to reach the semi-finals in Olympic football. They achieved this by defeating the hosts, Australia, in the quarter-finals. Despite their strong performance, the team narrowly missed out on a medal after facing defeats to Yugoslavia in the semi-finals and Bulgaria in the bronze medal match.

This period, spanning from 1948 to 1970, is widely regarded as the Golden Era of Indian football. During this period, the Indian football team clinched two Asian Games gold medals (in 1951 and 1962) and one bronze (in 1970). Additionally, India made their debut in the AFC Asian Cup in 1964, finishing as runners-up, marking their best performance in the competition to date.

3. 1983 Cricket World Cup

India won their first Cricket World Cup in the year 1983 at the Lord's Cricket Ground in England. That triumph revolutionized the sporting culture in India. Cricket was boomed which adversely affected other sports. But that revolution made India the cricketing superpower in the world and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) the biggest and most powerful board in the world.

4. Karnam Malleshwari In Sydney Olympics 2000

Karnam Malleshwari is the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Olympics. She won a bronze medal in the weightlifting - women's 69kg category at the Sydney Olympics 2000. She guided the other women and girls in the country to take up sports. In the last four Olympics, women have managed to win medals. In the Rio Olympics 2016, the only two Indians who secured a medal, were women - PV Sindhu (Badminton) and Sakshi Malik (Wrestling).

5. Neeraj Chopra's Historic Feat

Neeraj Chopra won a gold medal in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and became the first Indian post-independence to win an Olympic medal in the track and field event. His historic feat inspired millions of kids in India to take up sports and work on their health. Neeraj also managed to win a silver medal in the javelin throw at the Paris Olympics 2024.