Here are some of the heroes who have given a billion people reason to smile. They have given us hope to climb all peaks, big & small
Vijender Singh
His punches reverberate with history. He has taken Indian boxing to a height that was never before scaled. The first Indian boxer to win a medal at the Olympics, in 2008, also became the first to win one at the world championships. That happened in Milan when Vijender beat Ukrainian Sergiy Derevyanchenko to enter the semi-finals before losing to Abbos Atoev of Uzbekistan and taking the bronze. “I could have beaten him, but then that’s destiny,” said the boxer, who became the first Indian to grab the No. 1 spot in the world in the 75kg category.
Gautam Gambhir
If there’s one cricketer who successfully makes the transition between different forms of the game — the one trait any modern cricketer needs — it’s Gautam Gambhir. The opener collected 1828 runs in all forms in 2009, and the tally would have been much more had India played more Tests.
As a bridge between the quality of the Fab Four, and the potential of youngsters coming through, Gambhir has played his part to perfection. Big things are expected of the little man from Delhi.
Saina Nehwal
A steady start to the season saw India's top shuttler making the quarter-finals of the Malaysia Super Series, Swiss Open and India Open in March. By cracking the top-10 (she is now world No.6), she showed that women's badminton isn't all about the Chinese. The accolade of being the first Indian to win a Super Series title came in the Indonesian Open in June. In August, the Arjuna Award followed. A bout of mild chicken pox two weeks before the World Championships threatened her participation in the World Championships but Saina recovered to become the first Indian woman to reach the quarter-finals. The World Super Series semi-finals followed and the year ended with victory in the Syed Modi Grand Prix in Lucknow.
Leander Paes
With his Ivan Lendl-inspired giant sweatbands, animated whooping and cocky strut around court, it was fair to dismiss Leander Paes as a wannabe with no backhand. In the late 80s, he was already the quintessential hustler who crowded the net after the most audacious of jabs from the back of the court. Waist up Paes was all bluff, it’s only when you saw those feet scorch the court with their ferocity of movement that it dawned: this one is special. The technical prowess did not leap spectacularly but the boy became a crafty player who hung his game to his feet and then let his heart take over. The recent history of India’s Davis Cup is overwhelmingly dominated by the blood and guts surprises that Paes conjured up with surprising consistency. Twenty years later those feet still pound on. Battle-scarred and creaky, he knows time has shackled his dazzling speed. At 36, the body no longer wants 30 weeks on the tour; it is not that eager to embrace the gym. But, guess what? The heart still doesn’t want to quit. “You’ll see me at the London Olympics,” Paes insists after finishing the year with two Grand Slam titles.
Leander Paes
With his Ivan Lendl-inspired giant sweatbands, animated whooping and cocky strut around court, it was fair to dismiss Leander Paes as a wannabe with no backhand. In the late 80s, he was already the quintessential hustler who crowded the net after the most audacious of jabs from the back of the court. Waist up Paes was all bluff, it’s only when you saw those feet scorch the court with their ferocity of movement that it dawned: this one is special. The technical prowess did not leap spectacularly but the boy became a crafty player who hung his game to his feet and then let his heart take over. The recent history of India’s Davis Cup is overwhelmingly dominated by the blood and guts surprises that Paes conjured up with surprising consistency. Twenty years later those feet still pound on. Battle-scarred and creaky, he knows time has shackled his dazzling speed. At 36, the body no longer wants 30 weeks on the tour; it is not that eager to embrace the gym. But, guess what? The heart still doesn’t want to quit. “You’ll see me at the London Olympics,” Paes insists after finishing the year with two Grand Slam titles.
Pankaj Advani
The Bangalore cueist is one of those rare sportsmen to have won every kind of title offered on the green baize table. He has won the International Billiards and Snooker Federation’s world snooker title, the IBSF’s world billiards title and this year, he added the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association’s billiards title. With this, he has won seven world titles - six in billiards and one in
snooker.