Across the Olympics, the Paralympics and the Chess World Championship there was glory and tragedy and sporting nirvana and more than its fair share of drama for Indian sport this year. We attempt to capture, and herald, the best of 2024.
Here are ESPN India’s Awards (and Moments), 2024:
Para Athlete of the Year, Male
Harvinder ‘Clutch’ Singh flipped the script and made history
Until 2024, he was India’s only medallist in archery at either the Olympics or the Paralympics. In 2024, Harvinder Singh went one better. He became India’s only gold medallist in archery at either the Olympic or the Paralympics. It was a stunning display from Harvinder for his second Paralympic medal, as right through the competition, he stood head and shoulders above the rest of the field — Aaditya Narayan
Para Athlete of the Year, Female
Avani Lekhara’s unprecedented gold defence seals her legend
If Tokyo 2021 was the birth of a star, then Paris 2024 was the Games that sealed the legend that is Avani Lekhara. Before this bespectacled, 22-year-old girl in a wheelchair, no Indian had defended an Olympic or Paralympic gold. In Paris, she came, she saw, and she conquered. Again. – Zenia D’cunha
Team(s) of the Year
Indian chess announces itself with never-seen-before dominance of Olympiad
At the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Indian chess announced itself in a manner never seen before — it was pure collective domination. In the Open section, India was represented by Dommaraju Gukesh, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, and Harikrishna Pentala (Srinath Narayanan was captain). In the women it was Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rambabu, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, and Tania Sachdev (Abhijit Kunte was captain). And they swept all in front of them. — Anirudh Menon
Coach of the Year
Craig Fulton, the ‘friend’ whose ‘clear vision’ guided Team India to Olympic bronze
At one point in the Paris Olympics, it looked like the Indian men’s hockey team had no chance to better (or retain) the medal they had won at Tokyo. But under the leadership of Craig Fulton, a coach with a distinctly un-Indian style of play, a coach many had doubts about after months of failure, they did just that. — Anish Anand (with Harmanpreet Singh)
Match of the Year
Vinesh Phogat pulls of un-scriptable win against undefeated champion
The best kind of sport often comes with a disclaimer: “even scriptwriters couldn’t have thought this up.” At the Paris Olympics, we saw a textbook example of this, of David vs Goliath, and David bringing down the undefeated giant through sheer determination and smart tactics. So how would it look if we turned Vinesh Phogat vs Yui Susaki into a script? – Zenia D’Cunha
Emerging Athletes of the Year
Mona Agarwal, Anmol Kharb, Divya Deshmukh shine bright in 2024
In an Olympic and Paralympic year, it’s only natural that there are a few athletes – previously unheralded – who come up through the rank and catapult themselves into the spotlight. It’s perhaps the most exciting thing as a sports fan, seeing someone new come up on to the international stage, and right away, make a statement that they belong. – Aaditya Narayan
MOMENTS OF THE YEAR
As a remarkable 2024 draws to end, ESPN India picks ten images, moments, stories that tell the tale of the most extraordinary Indian sports moments witnessed over the year.
With 8 medals in a day, Indian sport lives its greatest day at the Paralympics
That’s right, 8 medals on a single day. A sum of 2 golds, 3 silvers, 3 bronzes. In just one day, India had won as many medals as they had across all Paralympic Games between 1988 and 2016. One day’s haul = 28 years’ tally. Incredibly, these were 8 medals won out of a just 14 medal chances — Zenia D’Cunha
Sumit Antil’s anger at not shattering own world record brings another record Paralympics gold
In Paris this summer, there were two Indians looking to defend their javelin gold. Only one did… and it’s the manner in which he did it that makes Sumit Antil so special. — Anirudh Menon
Amit Saroha’s pride and happiness in protege Dharambir’s gold
How often do you see celebrations at an international sports event where the athlete who finished 10th is perhaps the happiest of the lot? One such example unfolded after the men’s club throw F51 final at the Paris Paralympics. It was India 1-2, with Dharambir winning gold, and Pranav Soorma taking silver. However, the most beaming smile at the Stade de France belonged to Amit Saroha. — Aaditya Narayan.
Sheetal, Rakesh bask in glory of deserved medal after near-misses
The moment right after Sheetal Devi and Rakesh Kumar won the Paralmypics bronze medal told a story of relief. Sheetal was standing up, in tears and taking in the applause while Rakesh, on his wheelchair, was equal parts happy and relieved. — Anish Anand
Neeraj becomes human after Nadeem’s divine throw
On the biggest night of all, what would have been his crowning glory as one of the Olympic greats in his sport, Neeraj’s friend across the border had upstaged him. — Sunaadh Sagar
The gut-punch of Vinesh Phogat’s Olympic disqualification
You remember the feeling. You may not want to, but you do. On the morning of August 7, 2024, you, the Indian sports fan, woke up with a light heart and a bounce in your step. — Anirudh Menon
PR Sreejesh saves India, yet again
It was his last tournament wearing India colours. As it so often had in his career before, India’s progression boiled down to PR Sreejesh in goal. — Aaditya Narayan
Gukesh’s tears lay bare the magnitude in the mundane
Dommaraju Gukesh always rearranges the chess pieces back on his side of the board after every game ends. It’s a matter of routine for him: win, loss, tie… before he gets up from the board, he needs to have arranged those pieces back in their proper places. Except on December 12, 2024, there was something different about this most mundane practice of his. — Anirudh Menon
Swapnil Kusale’s nearly forgotten bronze that deserves eternal celebration
Kusale’s bronze medal was an important milestone – India’s first in the long-form format of 50m 3P; won by an unassuming, 28-year-old, an age almost considered too old in Indian shooting circles, and that too completing a personal redemption arc after one lapse in focus cost him an Asian Games gold. — Zenia D’Cunha
A tearful end to Sunil Chhetri’s career that deserved more
It felt like a personal failure. Not for Sunil Chhetri, not after 19 glorious years and 94 goals for India. But for his teammates, his adoring fans that together idolized him their whole lives, it was a bittersweet end to a career that deserved more. — Sunaadh Sagar
