Pathbreaking year 2022 for Indian sport
It was a pathbreaking year for Indian sport, one that witnessed many historic feats by Indian athletes on the world stage...In a way, the year 2022 was the perfect follow-up to 2021, when India excelled at the Tokyo Olympics. From the first-ever Thomas Cup triumph in badminton to Neeraj Chopra’s silver lining at the World Athletics Championships, the country witnessed some of its best sporting moments. The Indians made quite an impact at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, winning medals in events no one could have thought of a decade back. As the year draws to a close, TOI takes a look at some magical moments...NEERAJ CHOPRA, MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARMNeeraj Chopra had another outstanding year, setting new records on the global stage. He became only the second Indian and first male athlete to win a medal at the World Athletics Championships. To add to his historic Worlds silver in Oregon in July, Neeraj also became the first Indian to win the Diamond League title in September. Maintaining that ideal run in 2022 after winning the Olympic gold in Tokyo the previous year would have been a difficult ask for Neeraj, but the champion rose to the occasion.
(Image credit: Twitter) Having missed the first half of the 2022 season to regain his fitness after a 10-month sabbatical post his Tokyo campaign, Neeraj roared back to win a silver and set the national record at the Paavo Nurmi Games. The Olympic champion then gave India their best-ever showing at the Worlds with a silver. It was only the second medal for India on the athletics world stage since Anju Bobby George’s long jump bronze in 2003 in Paris. Neeraj then qualified for the Diamond League Final in Zurich after placing second in the Stockholm meet and first in the Lausanne leg.
