Key international events included the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, and Argentina winning their first FIFA World Cup since 1986 in Qatar. Individuals hitting the heights included Eileen Gu, Max Verstappen conquering F1 for a second successive season, rising tennis star Carlos Alcaraz, golfers Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas, athlete Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and the England women’s team winning UEFA Euro 2022.
It was an exciting year for Indian sports fans. There was heightened interest in other sports with the Commonwealth Games and various World Championships, resulting in a shower of medals for India.
An epic Thomas Cup victory broke the glass ceiling while unprecedented success came at the Commonwealth Games as India took giant steps toward becoming a badminton powerhouse in 2022. In a year of breathless action, P. V. Sindhu’s grit, Lakshya Sen’s exuberance, and the dogged determination of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also resulted in six individual titles on the BWF Tour. Double Olympic medallist Sindhu continued to excel with three titles — Syed Modi International, Swiss Open Super 350, and Singapore Open Super 500 — and capped the year with an elusive gold in Birmingham CWG. But it was not just Sindhu’s sensational show that defined Indian badminton this year as the men’s players produced a series of gut-wrenching performances to not only achieve individual glory but also break the hegemony of China and Indonesia at the Thomas Cup in Bangkok. The celebration of this historic feat was not yet over when Indian shuttlers scripted yet another jaw-dropping show in Birmingham, returning with six medals, including three golds, a silver, and two bronze medals in August.
In Indian athletics, the peaks of achievement never end. Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra’s Olympic gold has encouraged young athletes to take the leap. At the recent World Championships, Chopra bagged the first-ever silver and six Indians qualified for the final. They performed beyond expectations at the Commonwealth Games as well, winning eight medals, one gold, four silver, and three bronze, outside the country.
Tokyo Olympic star Mirabai Chanu lifted 201 kg (snatch: 88kg + clean and jerk: 113 kg) to set the new Commonwealth Games record. This was her third medal and a second gold in the quadrennial event. Commonwealth Games also witnessed the success of Indian lifters, Achinta Sheuli and Jeremy Lalrinnunga who won gold medals. Bindyarani Devi, Sanket Sargar, and Vikash Thakur also joined them with silver medals, while four others got bronze.
Nikhat Zareen won her maiden World Championship gold medal, becoming the fifth Indian World Champion, after the 2018 victory of Mary Kom. Zareen maintained the spirit in Birmingham and acquired success in the Commonwealth Games as well.
Indian wrestlers had an eventful year with Asian Championships, Ranking series, CWG and the World Championships. In Asian Championships, Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Ravi Dahiya (57kg) won a gold medal, becoming a triple-time Asian Champion. Bajrang Punia (65kg), Deepak Punia (86kg) took home silver. Anshu Malik bagged a silver medal. In August’s Commonwealth Games, India won medals in all the 12 weight categories, including six gold.
The idea of a medal for India in lawn bowls could seem unimaginable, considering the unfamiliarity of the sport. As it stands, Rupa Rani Tirkey, Pinki, Nayanmoni Saikia, and Lovely Choubey created history by defeating New Zealand and South Africa to bag gold at CWG 2022.
