Four Decades of Milestones

Hima Das wins the 400m gold at the IAAF World Under-20 Athletics Championships.

Mirabai Chanu wins a gold medal at the World Weightlifting Championships in the 48kg category, becoming only the second Indian to achieve this.

P. V. Sindhu wins silver at the Rio Olympics.

Saina Nehwal wins the silver medal at the World Badminton Championships.

Dipa Karmakar wins the bronze medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games to become the first Indian woman to win a Commonwealth Games gymnastics medal.

M.S Dhoni-led India wins the ICC Champions Trophy.

Wrestler Sushil Kumar wins the silver medal at the London Olympics, bettering the bronze he won four years previously at the Beijing Olympics and becoming the first Indian athlete to win two individual Olympic

India defeats Sri Lanka to win the cricket World Cup for the second time in history.

India finishes second in the Commonwealth Games, its highest finish ever.

Saina Nehwal becomes the first Indian woman to win a Super Series tournament, defeating China’s Lin Wan in Jakarta.

Abhinav Bhindra wins gold in the men’s 10m air rifle at the Beijing Olympics, making him the first Indian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympics.

India wins the inaugural T20 World Cup, defeating Pakistan in the final.

Narain Karthikeyan becomes the first Formula One driver from India.

Pankaj Advani wins the IBSF World Billiards Championships in Malta. He bags it three more times — in 2007, 2008 and 2012.

Shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore wins the silver medal at the Athens Olympics, India’s first silver in an individual event at the Olympics.

Anju Bobby George creates history by becoming the first Indian medallist at the World Athletics Championship — winning a long jump bronze in Paris.

M. C. Mary Kom wins the first gold medal of her career at the 2002 Antalya World Amateur Boxing Championships in the 45kg division.

P. Gopi Chand comes from behind to clinch the All England Open.

Viswanathan Anand wins the FIDE World Chess Championship, becoming the first Asian to do so. He held on to the title till 2002.

Anil Kumble becomes only the second player till date to pick up 10 wickets in a Test innings, doing so against Pakistan.