Sports Icons of India

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India is a country of more than one billion. But the most unfortunate thing is our total medal tally in Olympics is less than the total gold medals own by Cuba in Olympics. But we have some great sports icons. In this thread I will like to share their contribution. Members participation is requested.

Regards
NSG

 

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Sardar Milkha Singh (Nicknamed as Flying Sikh)​

He lost his parents in the turmoil of Partition. He hid among the corpses in the train that was carrying his family to India. But he survived the horrific experience, and rose to become one of India's greatest athletes earning the sobriquet 'Flying Sikh'.

September 6, 1960 was a red-letter day for Indian athletics. In Rome on that day, 25-year-old barefooted Milkha Singh broke the Olympic record in the 400 m. He lost the bronze medal by a heart-breaking 0.1 seconds, behind Malcolm Spence of South Africa. It was such a close race that the first two broke the world record and the three that followed them broke the Olympic record! His timing of 45.6 seconds was also a national record that stood for 38 years!

Till date the 'Flying Sikh' is the only Indian to have broken an Olympic record.

More about Flying Sikh

 

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Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha (P T Usha ) – Nicknamed as 'Payyoli Express’​

P.T. Usha was born in Kerala at a village of Koothali near Perambra in Kozhikode district to E.P.M.Paithal and T.V. Lakshmi on June 27 1964.

Major achievement
•Came to limelight in the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi, winning the silver in the 100 m and 200 m event.

•At the Asian Meet in Jakarta in 1985 Usha established herself as the Asian sprint queen with five gold medals (in the 100meters, 200m, 400m, 400m hurdles and the 4x400m relay) besides a bronze in the 100m relay.

•Won 4 gold and 1 silver medals in the track and field events of 10th Asian Games held at Seoul in 1986.

•The finest moment in Usha's career and also perhaps the saddest however came in a single race at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. In the 400m hurdles Usha missed winning the bronze by just 1/100th of a second. She recorded her best time of 55.42secs in that race.


P.T. Usha was honoured with the Arjuna Award in 1983, and the Padmashree in 1985. She was named 'Sportsperson of the Century' by the Indian Olympic Association, and till date is the Indian with most international track and field medals.

 

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Major Dhyan Chand​

He was born on the 29th of August 1905 at Prayag (Allahabad), Uttar Pradesh to a Bais Rajput family.

Major achievement
•At the Berlin Olympics in 1936, Dhyan Chand could not play for finals against Germany, as he was hurt. At half point, when India led by only 1-0 Dhyan Chand removed his shoes and entered the field bare foot. He took India to a stunning victory scoring 6 more goals. Adolf Hitler, the German dictator, was so impressed by Dhyan Chand's performance in the Berlin Olympic finals that he offered to elevate 'Lance Naik' Dhyan to the rank of a Colonel if he migrated to Germany.

•In the year 1926 Dhyan Chand was selected for the Indian Hockey team going to visit New Zealand at a tour. During the tour, the Indian team scored 20 goals in a match played at Dannkerke, and Dhyan Chand alone had scored 10 of them. India played 21 matches on the tour, out of which it won 18, lost 1 and drew 2 matches. The team scored a total number of 192 goals and Dhyan Chand alone had scored over 100 of them

•He played for the Indian Hockey team in the Amsterdam Olympic Games 1928, and scored 2 out of the 3 goals in the final match against Netherlands, getting India the Gold Medal by a 3-0 win. In the Los Angeles Olympics 1932, the Indian team led by Lal Shah Bukhari again won the Gold Medal. In the tournament, the Indian Hockey team defeated the USA Hockey team by 23-1, which remained a world record until it was broken in the year 2003. Out of these 23 goals, 8 were scored alone by Dhyan Chand. In the event, Dhyan Chand scored 12 goals for India in 2 matches.

Awards & Achievements
For his extra-ordinary services to the nation, the Government of India celebrates Dhyan Chand’s birthday (29th of August) as National Sports Day. The Indian Postal Service issued a postage stamp in his memory, and the Dhyan Chand National Stadium at New Delhi has been named after him. He was honored by the Padma Bhushan award by the Government of India in the year 1956.

Inspite of all his achievements Dhyan Chand was a simple man. His autobiography `Goal' begins with the words "You are doubtless aware that I am a common man!"

Our cricketers who score a 50 in a One Day International feels he is the next star!!!

How we Indians treats our great heroes.
The last days of Dhyan Chand were not very happy, as he was short of money and was badly ignored by the nation. He developed liver cancer, and was sent to a general ward at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. He died on the 3rd of December 1979.

Shame on us

 

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Vishwanathan Anand​

Viswanathan Anand was born 11 December 1969 in Chennai Tamilnadu to Vishwanathan, who retired as General Manager, Southern Railways, and Susheela.

Achievements

•Won the National Sub-Junior Chess Championship with a score of 9/9 in 1983 at the age of fourteen.

•He became the youngest Indian to win the International Master Title at the age of fifteen, in 1984.

•In 1987, he became the first Indian to win the World Junior Chess Championship.

•In 1988 at the age of eighteen, he became India's first Grandmaster

•Won the FIDE World Chess Championship in 2000 for the first time after defeating Alexei Shirov 3.5–0.5 in the final match held at Tehran; becoming the first Indian to win that title.

•In 2007 he became World Champion again by winning that year's FIDE World Championship Tournament held in Mexico City. [In 2000, when Anand won the FIDE World Championship, there was also the rival "Classical" World Championship, held by Kramnik. By 2007, the world championship had been reunified, so Anand's victory in Mexico City made him undisputed World Chess Champion]

•Successfully defended the title against Kramnik in the World Chess Championship 2008 held in Bonn, Germany.

•In January 2000, the 629-player Plus GSM World Blitz Chess Cup was held near Warsaw in Poland. Anand, the top seed, won the event by half a point. He scored 17.5 points from 22 games (14 wins, drew 7 games and a loss to Akopian).

Awards

•Arjuna Award (Government of India), Outstanding Indian Sportsman (Chess) – 1985

•Padma Shri (Government of India), youngest ever recipient – 1987

•Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, first ever recipient – 1991-92

•Chess " Oscar" Best Chess Player of 1997, 1998,2003,2004,2007

•Padma Vibhushan from the Government of India, for his World Championship Title and No.1 World Ranking - 2008

More about Vishy "The tiger from Chennai"

 

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Geet Siriram Sethi (English billiards and snooker player)​

Born is April 17, 1961 at Delhi.

Achievements

•World Professional Billiards Champion: 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 2006

•World Amateur Billiards Champion: 1985, 1987, 2001

•Gold Medallist, 13th Asian Games, Bangkok 1998

•Asian Billiards Champion: 1987

•National Billiards Champion: 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1997, 1998

•National Snooker Champion: 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988

Awards

•Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (Government of India) for 1992–1993

•Padma Shri

More

 

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Ramanathan Krishnan​

All time great Indian Tennis player, born in 11th April 1937. His father T.K. Ramanathan was also a tennis player like his son Ramesh Krishnan.

Achievments:
•Won the national senior title eight years on the row.

•In 1954, he became the first Asian player to win the Wimbledon junior Singles title.

•World No.3 tennis player in 1960 and 1962

•A semifinalist at Wimbledon in 1960 and 1961.

•Krishnan was a key member of the Indian Davis cup team in 1966 that finished as runners-up 3 times (1966, 1974, 1987).

Awards:
For his outstanding contribution to Indian tennis GOI honored him Arjuna Awards in 1969, Padma Shree 1962 and Padma Bhusan 1967.

 

[enlightened1]

Very good thread NSG :goodstuff:

 

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Jaspal Rana​

Jaspal Rana is one of the most outstanding shooters from India. Born on June 28, 1976; he contested mainly in the 25 m Centre Fire Pistol category.

Achievement:

•Made his national début at the age of 12, at the 31st National Shooting Championship at Ahmadabad and won a Silver Medal.

•Gold Medal in the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima.

•Gold medal in Men's 25m Centre Fire Pistol (Pairs) with Samaresh Jung at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

•Gold Medals in 25m Standard Pistol and 25m Center Fire Pistol at the 2006 Asian Games on 7-8th Dec 2006. While winning the 25 m Center Fire Pistol event, Rana equaled the world record by aggregating 590 points.

•Twice equaled the world record score of 590 points in Centre Fire Pistol event.

Awards:

•Conferred the Arjuna Award by GOI in 1994.

•At the age of twenty one, he became a Padma Shree recipient.

•He was bestowed with the National Citizen award by Mother Teresa.