Yearender 2024: A look back at historic triumphs that redefined Indian sports

The year 2024 was nothing short of extraordinary for Indian sports, with athletes from multiple disciplines delivering feats that captured the imagination of millions. From historic victories on the world stage to personal milestones that rewrote records, the year highlighted India's growing dominance in international sporting arenas. Be it cricket, athletics, tennis or chess, Indian athletes proved their mettle and brought home medals and awards that will be remembered for generations to come.

The country enjoyed a monumental T20 World Cup victory, its best-ever Paralympic performance and several milestone achievements in chess, tennis and athletics. As we look back at 2024, here is a list of the key sporting achievements that made this year memorable for India.

T20 World Cup victory after 17 years

In a nail-biting final that will go down in history, India lifted its second T20 World Cup title after a 17-year wait. India showed resilience under pressure and defeated South Africa by a narrow margin of seven points in Barbados. In the match, Virat Kohli played a crucial knock of 76 runs in India's total of 176/7 after the side batted first.

However, it was India's bowling attack, led by Jasprit Bumrah's consistent prowess and Hardik Pandya's clutch performance under extreme pressure, that sealed the victory. Hardik's figures of 3-20 helped restrict South Africa to 169/8 despite Heinrich Klaasen's blistering 52.

The win ended an 11-year ICC trophy drought for India, but the retirements of Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the T20 internationals added an emotional element to the win. Moreover, this was also Rahul Dravid's last tournament as India's head coach, with Gautam Gambhir succeeding him in the role.

India enjoyed an unbeaten run throughout the tournament, beating arch-rivals Pakistan, USA, Ireland and Canada in the group stages before triumphing over Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Australia in the Super Eights. In the semi-finals, India rolled past England to keep their unbeaten record intact.

India at the Olympics: One silver and 5 bronze

The country won six medals at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, including one silver and five bronze. One of the standouts was Neeraj Chopra, the defending Olympic javelin champion from Tokyo, who won silver with a season-best throw of 89.45 meters and missed out on the gold to Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem.

Manu Bhaker also created history, becoming the first Indian to win two medals at a single Olympic Games, claiming bronze in both the women's 10 meter air pistol and mixed 10 meter air pistol events. Furthermore, the Indian men's hockey team impressed by winning a bronze medal, continuing India's rich legacy in the sport.

The bronze medal win was also a fitting farewell for goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who had been a rock in front of goal for the men's hockey team for decades. With bronze medal-winning performances from athletes like Swapnil Kusale (shooting), Aman Sehrawat (wrestling) and Sarabjot Singh (shooting), the 2024 Olympics were a testament to India's growing sporting stature on the world stage.

Avani Lekhara's historic performance and best performance ever at the Paralympic Games

Avani Lekhara created history by becoming the first Indian woman to win two golds at the Paralympic Games. Her victory in the SH1 women's 10 meter air rifle event came with a world record, cementing her place as one of the most successful Indian athletes in the history of the Paralympic Games.

The 2024 Games proved to be a milestone for Indian sports, with the country achieving its best ever performance in the competition. India brought home 29 medals – seven gold, nine silver and 13 bronze – surpassing the previous best of 19 medals at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

India also created history with a one-two punch in athletics in the men's club class F51, where Dharambir and Parnav Soorma claimed gold and silver respectively. Sumit Antil, Mariyappan Thangavelu and Sheetal Devi have also etched their names in history.

Rohan Bopanna's win at the Australian Open

Bopanna achieved a career-defining performance in 2024 by winning the men's doubles title at the Australian Open. At the age of 43, Bopanna became the oldest player to reach world No. 1 in men's doubles; Teaming up with Australia's Matthew Ebden, Bopanna defeated Italy's Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 7-6(0), 7-5 to capture the coveted Grand Slam title.

Bopanna had come close before, but never achieved a Grand Slam victory in men's doubles; his best performance to date was reaching the final of the US Open, which he achieved twice in 2010 and 2023. His victory at Melbourne's iconic Rod Laver Arena not only made him the oldest player to achieve No. 1 status achieved the world, but also proved that age. is no barrier to success in professional sports.

Olympiad victory and Gukesh's victory at the World Chess Championship

India continued its remarkable rise in chess, achieving tremendous success at the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest. The Indian men's and women's teams both created history by winning gold in their respective categories, cementing India's dominance in the game.

This win was especially significant considering India's past performance at the 2022 Chess Olympiad in Mamallapuram, where the country secured bronze medals in both categories.

Earlier this month, 18-year-old child prodigy D. Gukesh became the youngest ever world chess champion, a record held by Garry Kasparov for decades. Gukesh's victory in the 14th round of the World Chess Championship, where he defeated China's Ding Liren, was a spectacular achievement as he followed in the footsteps of his mentor, Viswanathan Anand.

The Indian women's table tennis team is making history

The Indian women's table tennis team created history in 2024 by winning the country's first-ever medal at the Asian Table Tennis Championships in the women's team event since its inception in 1972.

During the competition in Kazakhstan, the team of Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula, Ayhika Mukherjee, Sutirtha Mukherjee and Diya Chitale earned a bronze medal after a valiant effort in the semi-finals.

Pray for Tomar's UFC victory

In a milestone for Indian mixed martial arts, Puja Tomar created history by becoming the first Indian to win a UFC fight. The 30-year-old earned a hard-fought victory against Brazil's Rayanne dos Santos in an exciting strawweight bout, winning via split decision by scores of 30-27, 27-30, 29-28. Tomar's victory marked a milestone for Indian athletes in the UFC, a global stage for combat sports.

Her success sent a message to the world that Indian fighters are capable of competing at the highest level in mixed martial arts. Tomar, who had signed with the UFC in 2023, dedicated her victory to all Indian fans and fighters.