Indian Sports Records & Firsts
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Chapter 06 Β· Topic 05 Β· Sports & Games
Indian Sports Records & Firsts
Indian Sports Records & Firsts are important for UPSC, APPSC and TGPSC preparation. Indiaβs achievements in Olympics, cricket, athletics and chess are frequently asked in competitive exams.
Key firsts and records in Indian sports β Olympics, cricket, chess, badminton, athletics.
π₯ Indian Sports β Key Firsts
| First | Athlete | Sport | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Olympic medal | Norman Pritchard (2 silver) | Athletics | 1900 |
| First Olympic gold | Indian Hockey Team | Hockey | 1928 |
| First individual Olympic medal | K.D. Jadhav (bronze) | Wrestling | 1952 |
| First individual Olympic gold | Abhinav Bindra | 10m Air Rifle | 2008 |
| First woman Olympic medallist | Karnam Malleswari (bronze) | Weightlifting | 2000 |
| First woman Olympic silver | P.V. Sindhu | Badminton | 2016 |
| First athletics Olympic gold | Neeraj Chopra | Javelin Throw | 2021 |
| First Indian chess grandmaster | Viswanathan Anand | Chess | 1988 |
| First Indian World Chess Champion | Viswanathan Anand | Chess | 2000 |
| First Indian to win All England Badminton | Prakash Padukone | Badminton | 1980 |
| First Indian woman to win All England | Saina Nehwal | Badminton | β |
| First Indian to climb Everest | Tenzing Norgay (with Edmund Hillary) | Mountaineering | 1953 |
| First Indian woman to climb Everest | Bachendri Pal | Mountaineering | 1984 |
| First Indian to win World Billiards | Wilson Jones | Billiards | 1958 |
π Cricket Records β India
- Sachin Tendulkar β most Test runs (15,921), most ODI runs (18,426), most international centuries (100), most Test centuries (51)
- Anil Kumble β 10 wickets in an innings (vs Pakistan, 1999) β only second bowler in Test history to achieve this
- Kapil Dev β first Indian to take 400 Test wickets; led India to 1983 World Cup victory
- India won the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1983 (Kapil Dev) and 2011 (MS Dhoni)
- India won the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007 (MS Dhoni) and 2024 (Rohit Sharma)
- India won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2002 (joint) and 2013 (MS Dhoni)
β Viswanathan Anand β Chess Legend: Viswanathan Anand (born 1969, Chennai) became India’s first chess grandmaster in 1988 and the first Indian World Chess Champion in 2000. He held the World Chess Championship title five times (2000, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012). He is known for his exceptional speed and tactical brilliance. He received the Padma Vibhushan (2007) and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (1991β92). India has since produced many grandmasters, including D. Gukesh who became World Chess Champion in 2024.
π D. Gukesh β World Chess Champion 2024: Dommaraju Gukesh (born 2006) became the youngest World Chess Champion in history in December 2024, defeating Ding Liren of China. He is from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. At 18 years old, he broke the record previously held by Garry Kasparov. India has been producing exceptional chess talent β R. Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, and Nihal Sarin are among the other top Indian grandmasters.
β Revision Checklist
β
First Olympic medal = Norman Pritchard = 2 silver = 1900 Paris
β First individual Olympic medal = K.D. Jadhav = Wrestling bronze = 1952
β First individual Olympic gold = Abhinav Bindra = 10m Air Rifle = 2008
β First woman Olympic medallist = Karnam Malleswari = Weightlifting = 2000
β First athletics Olympic gold = Neeraj Chopra = Javelin = 2021
β First Indian chess grandmaster = Viswanathan Anand = 1988
β First Indian World Chess Champion = Viswanathan Anand = 2000
β D. Gukesh = youngest World Chess Champion = 2024
β Sachin Tendulkar = most Test runs + ODI runs + 100 international centuries
β India World Cup wins = 1983 (Kapil Dev) + 2011 (MS Dhoni)
β India T20 World Cup = 2007 (MS Dhoni) + 2024 (Rohit Sharma)
β First Indian to climb Everest = Tenzing Norgay (with Hillary) = 1953
β First Indian woman to climb Everest = Bachendri Pal = 1984
β First individual Olympic medal = K.D. Jadhav = Wrestling bronze = 1952
β First individual Olympic gold = Abhinav Bindra = 10m Air Rifle = 2008
β First woman Olympic medallist = Karnam Malleswari = Weightlifting = 2000
β First athletics Olympic gold = Neeraj Chopra = Javelin = 2021
β First Indian chess grandmaster = Viswanathan Anand = 1988
β First Indian World Chess Champion = Viswanathan Anand = 2000
β D. Gukesh = youngest World Chess Champion = 2024
β Sachin Tendulkar = most Test runs + ODI runs + 100 international centuries
β India World Cup wins = 1983 (Kapil Dev) + 2011 (MS Dhoni)
β India T20 World Cup = 2007 (MS Dhoni) + 2024 (Rohit Sharma)
β First Indian to climb Everest = Tenzing Norgay (with Hillary) = 1953
β First Indian woman to climb Everest = Bachendri Pal = 1984