World Records broken in 2023: Shooters shine, Sumit Antil on cloud nine

From Shooting to Para Athletics, here are the World Records shattered by Indian athletes during 2023.

Sift Kaur Samra competes during the Women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions during 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou. | Photo Credit: AP

It was another fruitful year for Indian sports which included the 100-plus medals tally at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.

Among the sports that took centre stage were athletics, archery and shooting. Even in terms of World Records, these three put India on the pinnacle of multiple disciplines.

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Sportstar looks back at World Record-breaking performances by Indian athletes in the past year:

Sumit Antil - Para Athletics (Javelin Throw F64)

Sumit Antil is making a habit out of shattering the World Record. He sent the javelin 70.83m at the World Para Athletics Championships in Paris in July to set the Record distance.

In October, at the Para Asian Games in Hangzhou, Antil bettered his own, landing the javelin at 73.29m to clinch the gold medal.

Jyothi Surekha Vennam - Archery (Women’s Compound Individual Qualification)

Jyothi Surekha Vennam achieved a World Record-equalling performance of 713 points during the women’s compound individual ranking round at the Archery World Cup Stage-1 in Antalya.

Jyothi equalled Colombian World champion Sara Lopez’s haul which she secured in 2015. It was also a new Asian record.

The archer went on to extend her rich vein of form at the Asian Games and bag multiple medals.

Jyothi Surekha Vennam displaying the gold medals she won in the Asian Games. | Photo Credit: G N RAO/THE HINDU

Rohan Bopanna - Tennis

Rohan Bopanna has remained the flagbearer for India in tennis in the recent past. In 2023, the 40-year-old took it to newer highs when he became the oldest player to clinch an ATP Masters title with the Indian Wells doubles crown, partnering Australia’s Matthew Ebden. Indo-Aussie pair beat Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski 6-3, 2-6, [10-8] in the final.

Rohan Bopanna, of India, left, and teammate Matthew Ebden, of Australia, hold up the winner’s trophy at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. | Photo Credit: AP

Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil, Divyansh Singh Panwar, and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar - Shooting (Men’s 10m Air Rifle Team)

The triad bagged India’s first Asian Games 2023 gold medal in Hangzhou. In the qualification round, the trio shot a total of 1893.7, 0.4 more than the previous world record score set by China only a month earlier at the Baku World Championship.

In shooting, the individual qualification round points secured by shooters of the same country are added to determine the team standings.

Sift Kaur Samra - Shooting (Women’s 50m Rifle 3-Position)

Sift Kaur Samra won gold in the women’s 50m rifle 3-position individual event at the Asian Games 2023 by smashing the World Record with a score of 469.6. Seonaid McIntosh of Great Britain held the previous World Record in the event with 467 points.

Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Swapnil Kusale, and Akhil Sheoran - Shooting (Men’s 50m Rifle 3-Position Team)

Shooters Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Swapnil Kusale and Akhil Sheoran clinched gold in men’s rifle 3P team event.

En route to their gold medal, the Indian shooters also broke the World Record after achieving a cumulative 1769 points, eight more than the previous record set by the United States in 2022 at the CAT championships.

Swapnil Suresh Kusale, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Akhil Sheoran pose with their gold medal during the presentation ceremony of men’s 50m rifle 3 positions team event at the Asian Games. | Photo Credit: PTI

Sundar Singh Gurjar - Para Athletics (Javelin Throw F46)

Sundar Singh Gurjar was the second Indian para javelin thrower who notched up a World Record at the Para Asian Games in Hangzhou. The Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist set a mark at 68.60m in the final to get his name in the record books.