Commonwealth Games 2022: 5 times Indian athletes shocked the world with their performances ft. Saina Nehwal, Milkha Singh
India is set to compete at the Commonwealth Games 2022 (CWG), which will kick off on July 28 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Alongside 71 other countries in the Commonwealth Games, the Indian contingent will be eager to make their mark at the quadrennial event.
After making its Games bow in 1934, India has competed in all but four editions (1930, 1950, 1962, 1986) since. With 135 medals, shooting is India's most successful sport at CWG, followed by weightlifting (125 medals) and wrestling (102 medals).
The subcontinent nation has won a total of 503 medals across all editions, which puts them at fourth in the all-time Commonwealth Games medal tally. There have been several instances over the last 88 years where India's athletes have shocked the world and made history at the Commonwealth Games by claiming success against overwhelming odds.
Here are five occasions where Indian athletes have shocked the world with their performances.
#1 Milkha Singh [1958 - Cardiff, Wales]
Milkha Singh was on a roll in 1958, delivering fantastic results since the start of the year across competitions. He set national records in 200m and 400m at the National Games in Cuttack. He then took his exploits internationally by clinching gold medals in the same events at the Asian Games.
However, it was at the Commonwealth Games in Cardiff that he truly set himself apart. In the 1958 Games, he won the gold medal in the 400m event, making him independent India’s first gold medalist.
Singh remained India’s only individual gold medalist in athletics until Krishna Poonia (track and field) at the 2010 New Delhi Games.
#2 Saina Nehwal [2010 - New Delhi, India]
Unlike Milkha Singh, Sania Nehwal did not set the stage alight ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The Indian shuttler’s preparations were adjusted to ensure she peaked at the Games, which meant she sat out of the China Masters Super Series and the Japan Super Series. This even saw her drop to World No. 7 in the rankings.
. @NSaina becomes the first Indian player to win Singles Gold🥇twice at the Commonwealth Games. Kudos Man!
2010 (DelhI): Gold Medalist
2018 (Gold Coast): Gold Medalist
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Nehwal’s decision paid dividends in New Delhi. The top seed saved a match point to beat Wong Mew Choo, coming from behind in an epic final to win the gold medal in the Women's Singles event.
While Prakash Padukone's 1978 gold showed the world India’s capability in badminton, it was Nehwal’s 2010 triumph that signaled the country’s rise as a badminton superpower.
Find the complete Commonwealth Games schedule here at Sportskeeda.
#3 Rashid Anwar [1934 - London, England]
India has won a total of 503 medals at the Commonwealth Games over the years, with Rashid Anwar paving the way by winning the country’s first-ever medal almost a century ago.
In India’s maiden CWG participation, the freestyle wrestler, one of only six Indians to compete in London, won bronze. With the country still a part of the British Empire that year, India was considered an also-ran who was there to make up the numbers. However, Anwar made the world sit up and take notice by winning a medal in the Men's Welterweight Division (74 kg).
While his wrestling records have never been verified, he is widely considered to be the national champion in the welterweight category more than eight times. He also took part in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where he made a second-round exit.
Famed Olympians and champion wrestlers like Norman Morrel, Al Fuller and Billy Riley are some of his many victims - a testament to his prowess.
#4 Krishna Poonia [2010 - New Delhi, India]
After Milkha Singh’s achievements in the 1958 Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, India had to wait 42 years for a track and field gold medal. Krishna Poonia won gold in the women’s discus throw in front of home fans, which also made her the first Indian female athlete to win a gold medal at the Games.
The icing on the cake was fellow Indians Harwant Kaur and Seema Antil taking the silver and bronze medals in the event.
Poonia returned to the sport after becoming a mother in 2001. In New Delhi, she started strong, setting the bar high with her very first throw of 61.51m, one that sealed her gold medal.
#5 Samaresh Jung [2006 - Melbourne, Australia]
Air pistol specialist Samaresh Jung, in partnership with Jaspal Rana, won two gold medals in the Men's Free Pistol Pairs and in the open event of 25m Standard Pistol Pairs at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games.
However, it was at the following edition, in Melbourne, Australia, that the 2002 Arjuna Awardee caught the attention of the world. He won a total of seven medals (five gold, one silver and one bronze), making him one of the best performing athletes in Melbourne.
His exploits on the field saw him get the moniker of ‘Gold finger’. That year, he also took home the David Dixon Award, which is given to the ‘Best Athlete of the Games.’