The year 2015 has been fruitful for India when it comes to sports. From setting newer records to bringing India glory at the international level, Indian sportsmen have come a long way. Considering all their progress and the pride they brought to the Nation, we bring to you a quick flashback of their achievements in their respective sports. And we are sure when you see the versatility of Indian players, you will be overwhelmed with pride.
ARCHERY Image Courtesy: indianexpress indiatimes
In October, Indian archers— Abhishek Verma and Deepika Kumari, bagged a silver medal each at the Archery World Cup 2015 which was held in Mexico City. For Deepika, it was her fourth world cup silver medal. This feat would inspire the aspiring archers from India!
BADMINTON Image Courtesy: huffpost
Beginning the year with a blast, in January, Indian badminton star Saina Nehwal grabbed a gold medal in the Indian Open Grand Prix. After this accomplishment, Saina reached the monumental World No. 1 spot in women’s rankings in badminton. It is also the first ever feat for any Indian women at the international level!
Giving reasons to keep the celebrations upfront in Badminton, India’s astounding pair of Ashwini Ponappa and Jwala Gutta grabbed the women’s double title at the 2015 Canada Open badminton tournament in style! They defeated top-seeded Dutch pair of Eefje Muskens and Selena Piek in the Final clash, held in June 2015.
BASKETBALL Image Courtesy: lmt-lss
In June 2015, a youngster, not only tall by his height but also by his dedication, did the unachievable. Hailing from Ludhiana in Punjab, Satnam Singh Bhamara became the first basketball player from the India to be drafted in the National Basketball Association (NBA) by Dallas Mavericks based in Texas. Satnam’s NBA draft will definitely act as a moral boost to all basketball fans in India who wholeheartedly play and support the game, even when other sports tend to take the centre stage.
In July, India defeated Sri Lanka with a score of 93-44, hence retaining the South Asian Basketball Championship title. The Indian team remained undefeated in all the five fixtures!
BILLIARDS
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In September, Pankaj Advani won the Six-red World Championship with his outstanding play, leaving the spectators spellbound. In November, he won the IBSF World Snooker Championship to take his world title count to 15. He is the most successful Billiards player for India, and needless to say— sky is the limit for him!
BOXING Image Courtesy: sportskeeda
In November, Shiva Thapa became the highest-ranked Indian boxer, grabbing the second spot in the international rankings. He also won a bronze medal at the World championships in Doha this year. He has become a household name, and a hero the youngsters look up to! All the best, Shiva—reach greater heights.
CHESS
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Abhijeet Gupta won the Commonwealth Chess Championship held in Delhi. He kept the crown with impressive eight points out of a possible nine. He had won the first seven games in the championship and the last two games had no result but a draw in each of them.
CRICKET Image Courtesy: Mithali Raj
In July 2015, Indian Women Cricket Team’s Captain, Mithali Raj completed 5,000 runs in ODI cricket, being only the second woman in the women’s cricketing history to cross this mark.
In October, the Indian Women’s Cricket team was ranked fourth in the world, in the newly introduced rankings by the International Cricket Council. In a nation where male cricketers are worshiped and women’s cricket has hardly any takers, this is indeed a big feat.
CYCLING Image Courtesy: orissapost
Once again proving that we excel in whatever we take up, our players grabbed the third spot on the medal tally of the Track Asia Cup in November held in Delhi, with 11 medals – three gold, three silver and five bronze. This victory has defined how India has exceptional talent in cycling.
Finishing the year in style, Deborah Harold, who also scored three medals in Track Asia Cup, jumped up six places from her earlier 10th position to reach an all-time high ranking of number 4 in the UCI individual world ranking in December, making it a historical moment for India.
FOOTBALL Image Courtesy: sportskeeda
In June, the captain of the Indian National Football team, Sunil Chhetri, became the first Indian footballer to score 50 international goals. This feat came during India’s 2018 World Cup qualifying match against Guam.
GYMNASTICS Image Courtesy: newsworldindia
Dipa Karmakar won the bronze medal at the 6th Senior ART Asian Gymnastics Championships held in Hiroshima in August. She won with 14.725 points, to stand at the third spot in the medal’s tally. Deepika is undoubtedly a rising star in gymnastics for India!
HOCKEY Image Courtesy: thefansofhockey In April, Indian Men’s Hockey Team bagged the …
