Major achievements of India after Independence in sports

The past seven decades saw India going through lots of ups and downs. Be it its international status of first as a poor nation to now as the most powerful developing country or the wars it has been constantly fighting with its neighbours like China and Pakistan, India has indeed experienced some path-breaking moments in almost all the fields be it technology, nuclear science, economics or sports.

The country has struggled to create internationally dominating sports people but in the last few years, India has managed to attract global attention in this field too.

Won Olympics Gold Medal in Hockey

This is when Pakistan won the first ever Gold Medal by defeating India’s Hockey team in Rome Olympics in 1960. pic.twitter.com/KPrqMky67L

— Moments & memories (@momentmemori) August 8, 2021

India won its first-ever gold medal in hockey in the 1948 Olympics held in London. India defeated England 2-1 to win its first gold after independence.

Football gained roots in India

1950s :: Indian Football Coach Syed Abdul Rahim , Under His Guidance Indian Football Team Won Gold In 1951 & 1962 Asian Games and Reached In Semifinal of 1956 Olympic Games pic.twitter.com/tKWDjAHDet

— indianhistorypics (@IndiaHistorypic) January 20, 2020

While football is the most followed sport worldwide, in India it is still to get recognition at that level. But in some parts of the country especially in West Bengal football is the biggest sport. Surprisingly, the country bagged gold two times in the Asian Games held in 1951 and 1960.

First Indian to win Olympics medal

The first of the firsts! 🇮🇳

On This Day, 7️⃣1️⃣ years ago, KD Jadhav etched his name in glory as the first individual Olympic medalist from independent India! 🥉#OnThisDay | @WeAreTeamIndia pic.twitter.com/c6aAzEK3jI

— Olympic Khel (@OlympicKhel) July 23, 2023

KD Jadhav became the first Indian athlete to win a medal at the Helsinki Olympics in 1952 when he clinched a bronze medal in the bantamweight category giving the country the first Olympic medal in wrestling.

The Flying Sikh wins gold

In 1958 Tokyo Asian Games Milkha Singh Won Gold Medal In 200 m and 400 m Race pic.twitter.com/xCtZlrbzDK

— indianhistorypics (@IndiaHistorypic) August 30, 2018

Milkha Singh is one of the best athletes India has ever produced. He became a superstar after winning first gold at the Commonwealth Games in 1958 coming first in the 440 yards category.

Ramanathan Krishnan reached the semi-final of Wimbledon

1959 :: Ramanathan Krishnan In Action at Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/VD3kqO55XG

— indianhistorypics (@IndiaHistorypic) June 29, 2021

Even today, tennis is not played by many Indians. Names like Sania Mirza or Leander Paes are there but very few. It was Ramanathan Krishnan who made the game known to many in India when he reached the semi-final of Wimbledon in 1960 and in 1961.

Prakash Padukone wins Badminton Championship

1978 :: Prakash Padukone wins Gold medal in men's Singles Badminton in commonwealth Games ,Edmondon ,Canada

(AP) pic.twitter.com/iIugijfzkJ

— indianhistorypics (@IndiaHistorypic) August 3, 2014

Although today he is known more as the father of Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone, Prakash Padukone first shot into fame when he became the first Indian to win the England Open Badminton Championship in 1980.

India won World Cup in 1983

For me it was 🇮🇳 winning the cricket world cup in 1983. It will always remain my favorite & memorable moment. The next day i left BOM & came to Pune to start my engineering course & was so motivated by our win that I played for college for aa the 4 yrs. Those were wonderful yrs😍 pic.twitter.com/h8mhJBnB8c

— VT - EBO 🇮🇳 (@amp1066_ani) July 30, 2023

India’s win in the Cricket World Cup in 1983 has shaped the future of cricket in India and it won’t be an exaggeration to state that this win by the Kapil Dev-led team has inspired many Indians like Sachin Tendulkar to become a cricketer. Thereafter, India won the world cup again in 2011 and also the T-20 world cup.

When Vishwanathan Anand won World Championship

#1August 1997 #ThisDayThatYear
Viswanathan Anand wins the Credit Suisse Masters chess tournament in Beil. @vishy64theking @CreditSuisse @FIDE_chess pic.twitter.com/cCl2PWI0YN

— TDTY (@TDayTYear) August 1, 2023

He was the first Indian to win a World Chess Championship in 2000 and has won it five times.

First gold for India in Olympics

It's no small feat to represent your country on a global level, and to win the first individual gold in any category! @Abhinav_Bindra set the tone for Indian sportsmanship in the 2008 Olympics, and the nation owes him a great debt!#TheGoldTurns10 #BindraTheFilm pic.twitter.com/YwkU4DJE9d

— Anil Kapoor (@AnilKapoor) August 11, 2018

While Vijender Singh was the first boxer to win a medal for India it was Abhinav Bindra who was the first ever Indian to win a gold at the Olympics in 2008. Later on, it was Neeraj Chopra who won another gold for India after a gap of more than a decade in the Javelin Throw in 2021.