Commonwealth Games 2022: Top 5 Indian CWG Players of all time

Top 5 Indian CWG Players of all time

CWG 2022 will commence on July 28, 2022, an event in which India has been pretty consistent, appearing on all but four occasions. The inaugural Commonwealth Games comprising Commonwealth countries were contested in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada, with India marking their début at the second event in 1934.

India has generated a wealth of athletic geniuses who have earned their stamp on the heritage of the Commonwealth Games. Shooting is India’s most accomplished sport in the history of the Games. With a total of 135 medals, India has collected the most honors in shooting competitions. So don’t be surprised if the Indian shooters dominate the list.

Here are the top 5 Indian CWG players of all time,

 

SHARATH KAMATH ACHANTA (Table Tennis)

Sharath Kamath Achanta became the first Indian paddler to win gold in the Commonwealth Games Table Tennis event in 2006. So far, he has won 9 Commonwealth Games medals – 4 gold, 2 silver & 3 bronze. 

Sharath will be a member of the Indian table tennis roster at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. He became the first Indian player to win the Pyongyang Invitational Championship.

Sharath Kamal Achanta topped G Sathiyan‘s distinction in 2020 to become the highest-ranked Indian paddler. Across two decades, he served India multiple times in table tennis at the Olympic Games in 2004, 2008, 2016, and 2022. He was also awarded the Arjuna Award, the fourth highest civilian accolade.

 

ABHINAV BINDRA (Shooting)

Abhinav Bindra was a 10m Air Rifle specialist who clinched India’s first solo gold medal in shooting at the 2008 Olympic Games. He would become the first Indian athlete to win the World and Olympic crowns simultaneously. Abhinav later won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014.

Bindra was also the first Indian shooter to win a gold medal at the World Championships in 2006. He has 9 Commonwealth Games medals – 5 gold, 3 silver & 1 bronze. He participated in the 1998 CWG at the young age of 15. Lieutenant Colonel Bindra has received the Arjuna and Khel Ratna accolades, and he is the youngest laureate of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.

Can India break the medal tally record at Commonwealth Games 2022?

GAGAN NARANG (Shooting)

Gagan Narang has won a total of 10 Commonwealth Games medals (8 gold, 1 silver & 1 bronze) throughout his tenure. Gagan astonished the world by capturing four golds for India at the CWG 2006 in Melbourne, Australia, including two gold medals in partnership with Abhinav Bindra.

He also won bronze at the London Olympics in 2012. Gagan Narang‘s incredible adventure extended in the 2010 Delhi Games, wherein he earned four gold medals, two in singles and two in pairing.

The GOI awarded him the Arjuna award in 2005 for his exceptional shooting career. In 2010, Gagan received the esteemed Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.

 

SAMARESH JUNG (Shooting)

Air pistol expert Samaresh Jung won two gold medals in the men’s free pistol pairs and the open category of 25 m standard pistol pairs at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, both with compatriot Jaspal Rana. He was chosen to carry the Queen’s Baton during the inauguration ceremony of the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.

Samaresh won five golds at CWG 2006 in the Men’s 50m Pistol, Men’s 10 m Air Pistol, Men’s 25 m Centerfire Pistol, 10 m Air pairs, 25 m Standard Pistol pairs, and 25 m Center Fire Pistol regimens, and was voted the David Dixon “Best Athlete of the 18^th Commonwealth Games.”

Jung has earned 14 Commonwealth Games medals (7 gold, 5 silver & 2 bronze) in numerous shooting categories throughout the event’s multiple editions. At the 2006 Melbourne Games, he won seven medals, including five gold, one silver, and one bronze. In 2002, he received the Arjuna Award and obtained the epithet “Gold Finger of India.”

 

JASPAL RANA (Shooting)

Jaspal Rana, a pistol shooter, is India’s most decorated Commonwealth Games competitor. He earned a total of 15 Commonwealth Games medals in shooting – 9 gold, 4 silver & 2 bronze.

Jaspal Rana and Samaresh Jung won gold in the Men’s 25 m Centre Fire Pistol competition at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Rana won four gold medals in the 25 m Standard Pistol Shooting at the Manchester Games in 2002. He set a new world record in the 25 m Center Fire Pistol discipline with 590 points.

Jaspal Rana achieved over 600 medals in international tournaments through his hard work. At the mere age of 18, he earned the coveted Arjuna Award in 1994, and at 21, he earned the Padma Shri Award.