Yearender 2018, Multi-Sports: MC Mary Kom's Legend Grows As Fruitful Year Ends
Apart from cricket, hockey and football, India also had a great 2018 when it came to other sporting disciplines.
Highlights
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Mark Kom won a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games
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Neeraj became the 1st Indian javelin thrower to claim a gold medal at CWG
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Ankita Raina, 25, won a bronze medal at the Asian Games
The year 2018 is coming to an end and it undoubtedly is the perfect time to turn the clock back to recall India's achievements in the field of athletics this year. Keeping in mind the two mega events that ensured glory for Indian athletes was Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. At CWG 2018, India won a total of 66 medals - 26 gold, 20 silver and 20 bronze. At the Asian Games, India's total tally was 69 - 15 gold, 24 silver and 30 bronze.
Here are some memorable moments from the two events that ensured a happy 2018
Commonwealth Games:
1. Anish Bhanwala, a 15-year-old Haryana boy, won gold in the men's 25m rapid fire pistol. Bhanwala became the country's youngest-ever gold medal winner at the Commonwealth Games. Bhanwala had overshadowed Australia's Sergei Evglevski (silver) and England's Sam Gowin (bronze).
2. The year 2018 saw the legend of Mary Kom grow by leaps and bounds. First, she won her a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games, beating Northern Ireland's Kristina O'Hara with a unanimous 5-0 verdict, and then became the first woman boxer to win six World Championship gold medals later this year.
3. Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian javelin thrower to claim a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. With the feat, Chopra also became India's fourth individual track-and-field gold medal winner in CWG history.
Asian Games:
4. Sixteen-year-old Saurabh Chaudhary shot to fame as he clinched a gold medal in the men's 10m Air Pistol event. Chaudhary was only the fifth Indian shooter to take home a gold in the history of the Asian Games.
5. Ankita Raina, 25, managed to win a bronze medal at the Asian Games, which made her the second Indian female tennis player to win a medal in a singles event. The first Indian to pull the feat off was Sania Mirza, back in the 2006 Asian Games in Doha.
6. Swapna Barman became the first Indian heptathlete to clinch a gold medal at the Asian Games. Barman, who has six toes on each foot, won the heptathlon in spite of nursing a nasty toothache. Barely 21 years old, Barman scored over 6,000 points, putting together seven events in a span of two days.
7. Arpinder Singh ensured the Indian contingent takes back home a triple jump gold medal for the first time since 1970. Singh was extraordinary in his performance - registering a jump of 16.77m in his third attempt.