• ICC World Cup 2019

    Team India for World cup 2019

  • ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Champions

    On 2nd April, India repeated history by winning the World Cup after 28 long years. Under the leadership of MS Dhoni, India defeated Sri Lanka handsomely.

  • MS Dhoni world cup winning six

    MS Dhoni remained unbeaten on 91 as India successfully chased down 275 against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede stadium to lift the World Cup in 2011 after a gap of 28 years.

  • God of Cricket

    Sachin Tendulkar holds an array of individual records in the World Cup. He scored 2278 runs in the world cup 2011 with 6 centuries and 15 fifties in five different ICC Cricket World Cups (1992, 1996, 2003, 2007, 2011)

  • Kapil Devils

    Kapil Dev famously became the first Indian captain to lift the Cricket World Cup on the 25 June 1983.

Highest Score by a batsman in Twenty20 (T20) Cricket

Highest Individual scores by a batsman in T20 cricket.
Batsman (Country) Runs Balls 4s 6s Versus Venue Date
Brendon McCullum (New Zealand) 123 58 11 7 Bangladesh Pallekele 21 Sep 2012
Richard Levi (SA) 117* 51 5 13 New Zealand Hamilton 19 Feb 2012
Chris Gayle (WI) 117 57 7 10 South Africa Jo'burg 11 Sep 2007
Brendon McCullum (NZ) 116* 56 12 8 Australia Christchurch 28 Feb 2010
Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL) 104* 57 12 5 Australia Pallekele 6 Aug 2011
Suresh Raina (India) 101 60 9 5 South Africa St Lucia 2 May 2010
Mahela Jayawardene (SL) 100 64 10 4 Zimbabwe Guyana 3 May 2010
Richard Berrington (Scotland) 100 58 10 5 Bangladesh The Hague 24 Jul 2012
Luke Wright (England) 99* 55 8 6 Afghanistan Colombo 21 Sep 2012
Alex Hales (Eng) 99 68 6 4 West Indies Trent Bridge 24 Jun 2012
Ricky Ponting (Aus) 98* 55 8 5 New Zealand Auckland 17 Feb 2005
Mahela Jayawardene (SL) 98* 56 9 4 West Indies Barbados 7 May 2010
Chris Gayle (WI) 98 66 5 7 India Barbados 9 May 2010
Tillakaratane Dilshan (SL) 96* 67 12 2 West Indies The Oval 19 Jun 2009
JP Duminy (SA) 96* 54 10 4 Zimbabwe Kimberley 10 Oct 2010
Demien Martyn (Aus) 96 56 7 5 South Africa Brisbane 9 Jan 2006
Loots Bosman (SA) 94 45 5 9 England Centurion 15 Nov 2009
Martin Guptill (NZ) 91* 54 5 6 Zimbabwe Auckland 11 Feb 2012
Brendon McCullum (NZ) 91 55 11 3 India Chennai 11 Sep 2012
Herschelle Gibbs (SA) 90* 55 14 2 West Indies Jo'burg 11 Sep 2007

Note: List limited to batsman with scores above 90 runs. And records up to 21st September, 2012.
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Highest team innings totals in T20 cricket match

Highest scores (totals) by a team in Twenty20 match.
Team Score Overs RR Inns Versus Venue Date
Sri Lanka 260/6 20.0 13.00 1 Kenya Johannesburg 14 Sep 2007
South Africa 241/6 20.0 12.05 1 England Centurion 15 Nov 2009
Australia 221/5 20.0 11.05 1 England Sydney 9 Jan 2007
South Africa 219/4 20.0 10.95 1 India Johannesburg 30 Mar 2012
India 218/4 20.0 10.90 1 England Durban 19 Sep 2007
Sri Lanka 215/5 20.0 10.75 1 India Nagpur 9 Dec 2008
Australia 214/5 20.0 10.70 1 New Zealand Auckland 17 Feb 2005
Australia 214/4 20.0 10.70 2 New Zealand Christchurch 28 Feb 2010
New Zealand 214/6 20.0 10.70 1 Australia Christchurch 28 Feb 2010
India 211/4 19.1 11.00 2 Sri Lanka Mohali 12 Dec 2009
South Africa 211/5 20.0 10.55 1 Scotland The Oval 7 Jun 2009
West Indies 209/2 20.0 10.45 1 New Zealand Florida 30 Jun 2012
Australia 209/3 20.0 10.45 1 South Africa Brisbane 9 Jan 2006
South Africa 208/2 17.4 11.77 2 West Indies Johannesburg 11 Sep 2007
West Indies 208/8 20.0 10.40 1 England The Oval 28 Jun 2008
Sri Lanka 206/7 20.0 10.30 1 India Mohali 12 Dec 2009
West Indies 205/6 20.0 10.25 1 South Africa Johannesburg 11 Sep 2007
Pakistan 203/5 20.0 10.15 1 Bangladesh Karachi 20 Apr 2008
New Zealand 202/5 19.4 10.27 2 Zimbabwe Hamilton 14 Feb 2012
England 202/6 20.0 10.10 1 Australia Johannesburg 13 Nov 2009
South Africa 201/4 20.0 10.05 1 Australia Johannesburg 24 Feb 2007
England 200/6 20.0 10.00 2 India Durban 19 Sep 2007
Zimbabwe 200/2 20.0 10.00 1 New Zealand Hamilton 14 Feb 2012

Note: Records upto 30th June 2012.
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T20 World Cup 2012 Super 8 Schedule

ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Cup 2012 Super Eight Groups and Teams have been finalized. There will be total 2 groups in Super 8 stage having 4 teams in each group. The top Teamshave been in Super 8 stage as follows...

Group 1:
  1. England
  2. West Indies
  3. Sri Lanka
  4. New Zealand

Group 2:
  1. South Africa
  2. India
  3. Australia
  4. Pakistan

The top 2 teams from each group stage matches will be play semi finals of ICC World Twenty20 cricket cup 2012. The Super Eight Schedule has been decided and Time Table for T20 World Cup Super 8 will be as follows.

Date and Time Match Details and Series
Thu Sep 27
15:30 local
10:00 GMT
Super Eights, Group 1 : 13th T20 – Sri Lanka v New Zealand  
@ Pallekele Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Thu Sep 27
19:30 local
14:00 GMT
Super Eights, Group 1 : 14th T20 – England v West Indies 
@Pallekele Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Fri Sep 28
15:30 local
10:00 GMT
Super Eights, Group 2 : 15th T20 – Pakistan v South Africa 
@ R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Fri Sep 28
19:30 local
14:00 GMT
Super Eights, Group 2 : 16th T20 – Australia v India 
@ R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Sat Sep 29
15:30 local
10:00 GMT
Super Eights, Group 1 : 17th T20 – England v New Zealand 
@ Pallekele Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Sat Sep 29
19:30 local
14:00 GMT
Super Eights, Group 1 : 18th T20 – Sri Lanka v West Indies 
@ Pallekele Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Sun Sep 30
15:30 local
10:00 GMT
Super Eights, Group 2 : 19th T20 – Australia v South Africa 
@ R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Sun Sep 30
19:30 local
14:00 GMT
Super Eights, Group 2 : 20th T20 – India v Pakistan 
@ R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Mon Oct 1
15:30 local
10:00 GMT
Super Eights, Group 1 : 21st T20 – New Zealand v West Indies 
@ Pallekele Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Mon Oct 1
19:30 local
14:00 GMT
Super Eights, Group 1 : 22nd T20 – Sri Lanka v England 
@ Pallekele Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Tue Oct 2
15:30 local
10:00 GMT
Super Eights, Group 2 : 23rd T20 – Australia v Pakistan
R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Tue Oct 2
19:30 local
14:00 GMT
Super Eights, Group 2 : 24th T20 – India v South Africa
@ R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Thu Oct 4
19:00 local
13:30 GMT
1st Semi Final T20 – TBC vs TBC
@ R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Fri Oct 5
19:00 local
13:30 GMT
2nd Semi Final T20 – TBC vs TBC
@ R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Sun Oct 7
19:00 local
13:30 GMT
Final T20 – TBC vs TBC
@ R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
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Fastest fifties in Twenty20 cricket match

Fastest fifties in twenty20 internationals.
Batsman (Country) Balls Versus Venue Date
Yuvraj Singh (India) 12 England Durban 19 Sept 2007
Paul Stirling (Ireland) 17 Afghanistan Dubai 24 Mar 2012
David Warner (Australia) 18 West Indies Sydney 23 Feb 2010
David Warner (Australia) 19 South Africa Melbourne 11 Jan 2009
Gautam Gambhir (India) 19 Sri Lanka Nagpur 9 Dec 2009
Kieron Pollard (West Indies) 20 Australia St Lucia 27 Mar 2012
Mohammad Ashraful (Bdesh) 20 West Indies Johannesburg 13 Sep 2007
Yuvraj Singh (India) 20 Australia Durban 22 Sep 2007
Yuvraj Singh (India) 20 Sri Lanka Mohali 12 Dec 2009
Shane Watson (Australia) 20 Sri Lanka Pallekele 8 Aug 2011
Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) 21 Kenya Johannesburg 14 Sep 2007
Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) 21 Sri Lanka Nagpur 9 Dec 2009
Cameron White (Australia) 21 New Zealand Christchurch 28 Feb 2010
Umar Akmal (Pakistan) 21 Australia Edgbaston 5 July 2010
Paul Stirling (Ireland) 21 Canada Dubai 22 Mar 2012
Michael Hussey (Australia) 22 Pakistan Gros Islet 14 May 2010
Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) 23 New Zealand Wellington 22 Dec 2006
Chris Gayle (West Indies) 23 Australia The Oval 6 Jun 2009
Aaron Redmond (New Zealand) 23 Ireland Trent Bridge 11 Jun 2009
Tillakaratne Dilshan (Sri Lanka) 23 New Zealand Colombo (RPS) 2 Sep 2009
Alex Obanda (Kenya) 23 Canada Dubai 10 Feb 2010
Martin Guptill (New Zealand) 23 Pakistan Auckland 26 Dec 2010
Tom Cooper (Netherlands) 23 Scotland Dubai 22 Mar 2012
William Porterfield (Ireland) 23 Kenya Dubai 14 Mar 2012
Paul Collingwood (England) 24 New Zealand Christchurch 7 Feb 2008
Morne van Wyk (South Africa) 24 India Durban 9 Jan 2011
Andrew Symonds (Australia) 25 South Africa Brisbane 9 Jan 2006
Marlon Samuels (West Indies) 25 England The Oval 28 Jun 2007
Nazimuddin (Bangladesh) 25 Pakistan Nairobi 2 Sep 2007
AB de Villiers (South Africa) 25 Scotland The Oval 7 Jun 2009
Graeme Smith (South Africa) 25 England Centurion 15 Nov 2009
Loots Bosman (South Africa) 25 England Centurion 15 Nov 2009
Richard Levi (South Africa) 25 New Zealand Hamilton 19 Feb 2012
Imran Nazir (Pakistan) 25 Bangladesh Pallekele 25 Sep 2012

Note: List limited to batsman with scores above 90 runs. And records up to 25th September, 2012.
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T20 World cup - 2012 Schedule

The ICC T20 world cup 2012 is scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka in September-October 2012. It will be the forth World Twenty20 cricket series. The ICC World Twenty20 2012 will be contested by 12 teams which have been 10 Test teams and two qualifiers (Ireland & Afghanistan) and divided into four groups are A, B, C and D. Schedule of T20 world cup 2012 has been set in same pattern as it was the last time, with four groups of three teams each and top two qualifying to super 8s round where they play three more games and top two from them will reach the knock-out stage aka semi-finals.

The tournament will be held from 18th September 2012 to 7th October 2012. There will be total 27 number of matches will be played this time. Mahinda Rajapaksha International cricket stadium in Hambantota, Pallekele international stadium and R Premadasa ground in Colombo have been selected as the venues for World T20 2012. Final will be played at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on October 07, 2012. Explore live scores and all information of World T20 2012.

Group A = India, England & Afghanistan.
Group B = Australia, West Indies & Ireland.
Group C = Sri Lanka, South Africa & Zimbabwe.
Group D = Pakistan, New Zealand & Bangladesh.

Super 8s, Group E = C1, D2, A1, B2.
Super 8s, Group F = C2, D1, A2, B1.



Schedule/fixtures/time-table : T20 world cup 2012
Date Match Venue/Result
18 September(N) Match 1, Group C = Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe Hambantota 
19 September (D) Match 2, Group B = Australia v Ireland Colombo 
19 September (N) Match 3, Group A = India v Afghanistan Colombo 
20 September (N) Match 4, Group C = South Africa v Zimbabwe Hambantota 
21 September (D) Match 5, Group D = New Zealand v Bangladesh Pallekele
21 September (N) Match 6, Group A = England v Afghanistan RPS, Colombo
22 September (D) Match 7, Group C = Sri Lanka v South Africa Hambantota
22 September (N) Match 8, Group B = Australia v West Indies RPS, Colombo
23 September (D) Match 9, Group D = Pakistan v New Zealand Pallekele
23 September (N) Match 10, Group A = India v England RPS, Colombo
24 September (N) Match 11, Group B = West Indies v Ireland RPS, Colombo
25 September (N) Match 12, Group D = Pakistan v Bangladesh Pallekele
27 September (D) Match 13, Group E = C1 v D2 Pallekele
27 September (N) Match 14, Group E = A1 v B2 Pallekele
28 September (D) Match 15, Group F = D1 v C2 RPS, Colombo
28 September (N) Match 16, Group F = B1 v A2 RPS, Colombo
29 September (D) Match 17, Group E = A1 v D2 Pallekele
29 September (N) Match 18, Group E = C1 v B2 Pallekele
30 September (D) Match 19, Group F = B1 v C2 RPS, Colombo
30 September (N) Match 20, Group F = D1 v A2 RPS, Colombo
1 October (D) Match 21, Group E = B2 v D2 Pallekele
1 October (N) Match 22, Group E = A1 v C1 Pallekele
2 October (D) Match 23, Group F = B1 v D1 RPS, Colombo
2 October (N) Match 24, Group F = A2 v C2 RPS, Colombo
4 October (N) 1st Semi-final = E1 v F2 RPS, Colombo
5 October (N) 2nd Semi-final = F1 v E2 RPS, Colombo
7 October (N) The final RPS, Colombo
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Twenty20 World Cup 2010 - West Indies


The third edition of the Twenty20 World Cup took place in the West Indies during April and May 2010. The event was watched by millions from around the world.

The hosts got the tournament off to a great start thanks to a 70 run victory over Ireland. Although the West Indies excited the tournament after a disappointing Super Eights the whole event was still branded a major success by the ICC.

The final was played at the Kensington Oval in Barbados and saw England win their first ever ICC trophy thanks to a thrilling seven wicket victory over their old rivals, Australia.
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Twenty20 World Cup 2009 - England


The second Twenty20 World Cup took place in England in June 2009. The event was now seen as the ICC's biggest International tournement with millions watching around the world.

The event got off to a perfect start at Lords as the Netherlands beat England by 4 wickets in spectacular match which stunned the cricketing world. England would go onto qualify for the Super Eights but the Netherlands victory would go down in history.

The final was played at Lords and saw the 2007 runners up Pakistan take on Sri Lanka. Pakistan made no mistakes the second time round winning by 8 wickets
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Twenty20 World Cup 2007 - South Africa


The inaugural Twenty20 World Cup took place in South Africa during September 2007. With the rapid rise of Twenty20 cricket around the world the first official World Cup took place just 4 years after the first Twenty20 game was played in England.

The favorites going into the event were Australia, the current ODI World Champions. Despite suffering a shock 5 wicket defeat against Zimbabwe in their opening game the Aussie's regrouped and reached the semi finals before losing by 15 runs to India.

The final played in Johannesburg pitted two old foes in a thrilling final. India claimed the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup after beating Pakistan by 5 runs.
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VVS Laxman announces retirement from international cricket

Earlier, the 37-year-old Laxman, announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect.

VVS Laxman with wife and children
before a press conference
Laxman, who earned the sobriquet 'Very Very Special' for his style and flair, played 134 Tests, amassing 8,781 runs at an average of 45.97. He scored 17 hundreds and 56 half centuries in the longer format of the game. The Hyderabadi has always had a pair of safe hands and has pouched 135 Test catches too.

However, question marks over his form had been raised following his disappointing performances on India's tour to Australia earlier this year, and the right-hander has now decided to end his international career.

"I have decided to retire from international cricket with immediate effect," Laxman said.

"It's been 16 years since I have made my international debut for India and I think it is the right time to move on.
As a youngster it was a dream to represent India and it took a lot of pride to wear the India cap."

Laxman, who was picked in the Indian squad for the two-match Test series against New Zealand beginning here from August 23, surprisingly chose to hang his boots with immediate effect without taking the opportunity to bow out of international cricket in front of his home crowd.

Laxman's Test career got off to a dream start when he made a half-century on his debut against South Africa in November 1996, although he would have to wait until January 2000 to score his maiden century - the first of six he would make against Australia.

In 2001 Laxman produced one of the most memorable innings of all time as his career-best 281 led India to victory after they were asked to follow-on by Australia in Kolkata.

Laxman also made 200, again against Australia, in a drawn Test in Delhi in 2008, while in November of the same year he made his 100th Test outing against the Australians in Nagpur.

In 2010, Laxman played yet another defining innings ---an unbeaten knock of 73 against Australia at Mohali. He was suffering from acute back spasms and had to bat with a runner and he guided India to an improbable victory by playing alongside No 10 batsman Ishant Sharma.

Laxman, who was not a regular in India's ODI team, played 86 matches for an aggregate of 2338 at an average of 30.76. Unfortunately for him, he could never be a part of India's World Cup campaigns which remains one of his biggest regrets.

Doubts over Laxman's international future surfaced earlier this year when he turned in a lamentable performance in India's 4-0 whitewash at the hands of Australia, the batsman failing to get past two runs in four of eight innings.
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Olympic badminton: Saina brings India third medal


Saina Nehwal won India its third medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games, after being declared the winner in the women's badminton play-off for the bronze medal after her Chinese opponent Wang Xin withdrew with an injured knee. And the news became sweeter with Indian boxer Devendro Singh's entry into the Men's Light Flyweight quarter-finals.

Saina's opponent Wang, the World No. 2, won the first game despite the injury she suffered at the end of it. She won the first game 21-18, but before claiming the final point, she strained her knee. Wang received medical attention before claiming the game, but broke down soon into the second game – with the score 1-0 in her favour - before she hobbled off the court.

Saina saved four game points in a dramatic fightback in the first game and was 18-20 when left-handed Xin twisted her knee while going for an acrobatic smash from the baseline. She took on-court treatment for the injury after that.
But after winning the first game and the opening point of the second, Xin could not continue and was soon seen shaking hands with Saina with a wince. Saina thus became the first Indian badminton player to win a medal at the Olympic Games. She had reached the quarter-finals at the Beijing Games four years ago.
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Vijay Kumar wins silver to give India second medal


India’s Vijay Kumar gave the Indian fans a lot to celebrate when he took aim and won silver medal for India in the London Olympics 2012. This is India’s second medal in London Games after Gagan Narang’s bronze medal in 10-metre rifle. This medal also happens to be India’s fourth overall Olympics medal in shooting events.

Army sharp marksman Vijay Kumar today fought a nerve-wracking battle with five other top marksmen to clinch the silver medal in the men's 25m Rapid Fire Pistol event at the Olympic Games here today.

Kumar beat back the challenge of world champion Alexei Klimov of Russia, Chinese duo of Ding Feng and Zhang Jian and German Christian Reitz in the 40-shot final to finish runner-up in a thrilling finale behind Cuba's Leuris Pupo who shot his way to the gold with a world record equalling score of 34.

The 26-year-old army subedar from Himachal Pradesh found the target 30 times out of 40 attempts in the series comprising eight rounds of five shots each.

This is India's second medal in the ongoing quadrennial extravaganza after fellow marksman Gagan Narang's bronze in the 10m Air Rifle event on July 30. This was also the country's fourth medal in shooting in Olympic history. The other medal winners are Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (silver in 2004 Athens) , Abhinav Bindra (gold in 2008 Beijing) besides Narang.

Kumar started with a bang, hitting the target all five times and kept himself in the hunt for a medal by consistently finding the target. After a perfect five out of five at the start, Kumar, a double gold medallist in the 2010 Commonwealth Games, found the target four times in the second and third series, but missed it twice in the fourth.

He came back strongly by finding the target four times in the next three rounds and assured himself of a silver. In the last round after Pupo shot four to clinch the gold, Kumar seemed to relax a bit and missed three targets.

The bronze medal was won by Feng with a tally of 27. In the final, Kumar was assured of a medal after the the elimination of the trio of Klimov (23), Jian (17) and Christian (13) leaving himself, Pupo and Feng in the fray.

The silver was in his bag when Feng missed twice in the seventh round and Kumar replied with four.

Kumar had earlier lifted the Indian shooting team's spirit after the flop show by Narang, who failed to qualify for the final of the 50m Rifle Prone, by entering the finals of his event through the preliminaries.

En route to his total score of 585, Kumar became the second shooter to break the previous Olympic record of 583 to give a hint of his potential during the second stage of qualification.

Placed fourth in the list, Kumar, who had scored 293 in stage 1 of the qualification yesterday, shot a series of 98 97 97 in the second stage to take his total score to 585. He shot a sequence of 99 96 98 at the Royal Artillery Barracks. The Army man then successfully competed with five shooters for a medal.

Pre-Games medal favourite Ronjan Sodhi had yesterday failed to qualify for the double trap event.

Klimov had created a new world record by shooting 592 but he could not replicate that in the final. He scored a total of 592 after Stage 2, breaking the existing world record of 591 and Olympic record of 583, with 294 points in Stage 1 and a staggering 298 out of 300 in Stage 2.
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Who is Gagan Narang?

Gagan Narang is an ace Indian shooter, especially in Air rifle shooting, supported by the Olympic Gold Quest. He was the first Indian to qualify for the London Olympics. He won the Bronze Medal in the Men's 10 m Air Rifle Event at the 2012 London Olympics.

Gagan was born on 6 May 1983 in Chennai. His family hails from Panipat in Haryana. His grandfather lived at Samalkha in Panipat district, later on the family moved to Hyderabad.

Gagan Narang is a gold medalist in the Afro Asian games, 2003 in Hyderabad on October 26, 2003 in Men's 10m air rifle competition. He had won an air rifle gold medal at the World Cup 2006 and followed that event in April 2010.

In a pre-Olympic event in Hannover, Germany, Gagan shot an air rifle score higher than the world record, 704.3 as opposed to 703.1 set by Thomas Farnik of Austria in the World Cup 2006. Gagan qualified for the 2008 ISSF World Cup Final after he won a gold in the World Cup in China earlier in 2008. Gagan shot a perfect 1600 in the qualification round. He scored 103.5 in the final round making total score of 703.5 to gain the universe record. On November 4, 2008 he broke Austria's Thomas Farnik's record, set in the 2006 World Cup final in Granada, Spain.

Gagan Narang added 4 gold medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. In the Men's 10 m air rifle singles event, he shot a perfect 600 which was a new record.

Gagan also clinched a silver medal in his pet event at the Asian Games 2010. He also combined with Abhinav Bindra and Sanjeev Rajput to provide the country with another silver, in the team event behind champions China. Both of his silvers were won on the opening day of Asian Games.

Gagan Narang won the bronze medal in the 10m air rifle event at the 2012 London Olympics with a total score of 701.1 becoming India's first medal winner at the 2012 games. Gagan was just behind the silver medallist Niccolo Campriani of Italy who scored 701.5, while the gold medallist Alin George Moldoveanu of Romania was at 702.1.

In recognition with his achievements, Gagan Narang was conferred with the Padma Shree Award in 2010. Gagan Narang was selected for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award for 2010. This is the highest sports award in the country. He was conferred the award by then President Pratibha Patil on 29 August 2011.
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India bags first medal, Gagan Narang wins Bronze in 10m air rifle at London Olympics

Gagan Narang today won bronze medal in the 10m air rifle event, fetches first medal for India at London Olympics.

Shooter Gagan Narang ended India's medal drought at the London Olympics after clinching bronze medal in the 10 metre air rifle event with an overall score of 701.1 just behind the gold medallist Romania's Alin George Moldoveanu (702.1) and sliver medallist Niccolo 701.5

Earlier in the day, Beijing Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra crashed out of the London Games by failing to qualify for men's 10 metre air rifle final. However, compatriot Gagan Narang had kept alive India's hopes by advancing to the medal round with an overall score of 598 on Monday.

Narang started of well in the finals as he shot a 10.7 in his first attempt followed by a mediocre 9.7. Narang fought back hard as he scored 10.6 and 10.7 in his third and fourth attempt. Narang shot a 10.4 in his fifth attempt followed by a 10.6. Narang then had bad series of 9.9 and 9.5 but he came strongly to score 10.3 and 10.7 in his final two shots.

Bindra, who scripted history four years ago by becoming the country's first-ever individual gold medallist in the Olympics, shot 594 out of 600 to finish a shocking 16th out of 47 competitors and lost the golden chance of becoming the world's first shooter to win two successive Eagold medals at the mega event. Narang was one of the top eight shooters who qualified for the medal round.

After securing some massive victories on the second day of Olympics. Team India will look to carry on with the good work. The second day of the Olympics saw Saina Nehwal and Jai Bhagwan score comprehensive victories on their opponent. As Sawarn Singh went to the Quarter Final stages of the rowing competition.
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Hockey Wizard: Dhyan Chand


Dhyan Chand Singh was an Indian Hockey player, and considered to be the all time greatest player the game of Hockey has ever seen the world over. He has probably been the only Indian player ever in any sport which skills so high that generated a number of myths about his abilities as a Hockey player.

Dhyan Chand has put India on the world map in sport. Chand is most remembered for his goal-scoring feats and for his three Olympic gold medals (1928, 1932, and 1936) in field hockey, while India was dominant in the sport. Throughout his carrier, Dhyan Chand scored more than 1000 goals

He was born on the 29th of August 1905 at Prayag (Allahabad), Uttar Pradesh to a Bais Rajput family. Dhyan Chand spent most of his early time at Jhansi. His father served the Indian Army as a Subedar, and played the game of Hockey. Initially known as Dhyan Singh, he had 2 brothers named Mool Singh and Roop Singh, the latter one too being an accomplished Hockey player. Dhyan could not resume his studies after 6th standard as his family used to move from one place to another, before finally settling down permanently at Jhansi.

In his younger days, Dhyan was not much interested into sports although he liked wrestling a lot. He started playing Hockey with his friends who used to themselves make Hockey sticks from tree branches and balls from ragged clothes. At the age of 14 years he visited a Hockey match with his father, where one team was down by 2 goals. He insisted his father to play from the losing side, and when an Army Officer let him do so, Dhyan scored 4 goals for the team. Impressed by his skills, the Officer offered him to join the army and at the age of 16 years Dhyan was inducted into the Punjab Regiment as a Sepoy in the year 1922. Subedar-Major Bhole Tiwari of Brahmin Regiment became Dhyan’s mentor inside the Army and taught him the basics of the game. Pankaj Gupta was the first Coach of Dhyan Singh who predicted that one day he would shine like the Moon, called Chand in Hindi. Hence, Dhyan Singh came to be known as Dhyan Chand after that.

There are many incidents that describe the grandeur of Dhyan Chand’s amazing skills as a wonderful Hockey player. In one of them, he scored 3 goals in the last 4 minutes of a match wherein his team was losing by 2 goals, and got his team the victory in the match. This was the Final match of the Punjab Infantry Tournament in Jhelum. After this match, Dhyan Chand was named the “Hockey Wizard”.

Dhyan Chand delivered brilliant performance in the first Inter-Provincial (National) Hockey tournament that was organized in the year 1925. Five teams, viz. United Provices (UP), Punjab, Bengal, Rajputana and Central Provinces participated in the tournament. On the basis of his performance in the tournament, he was selected for the International Hockey team of India.

In the year 1926 Dhyan Chand was selected for the Indian Hockey team going to visit New Zealand at a tour. During the tour, the Indian team scored 20 goals in a match played at Dannkerke, and Dhyan Chand alone had scored 10 of them. India played 21 matches on the tour, out of which it won 18, lost 1 and drew 2 matches. The team scored a total number of 192 goals and Dhyan Chand alone had scored over 100 of them. After his return to India, he was promoted to the post of Lance Nayak in the Army. At the London Folkstone Festival in 1927, he scored 36 goals out of India’s total 72 goals, in 10 matches played at the event.

Dhyan Chand played a monumental role in India winning 3 successive Olympic hockey gold medals (in 1928, 1932 and 1936).

He played for the Indian Hockey team in the Amsterdam Olympic Games 1928, and scored 2 out of the 3 goals in the final match against Netherlands, getting India the Gold Medal by a 3-0 win. In the Los Angeles Olympics 1932, the Indian team led by Lal Shah Bukhari again won the Gold Medal. In the tournament, the Indian Hockey team defeated the USA Hockey team by 23-1, which remained a world record until it was broken in the year 2003. Out of these 23 goals, 8 were scored alone by Dhyan Chand. In the event, Dhyan Chand scored 12 goals for India in 2 matches.

In the Berlin Olympics 1932, Indian had successfully treaded their path to the finals crushing Hungary by 4-0, USA by 7-0 and Japan 9-0 without conceding a single goal in the tournament. The team defeated France in the Semi-Finals by 10 goals, and was going to combat Germany in the Finals. In the Final match, the Indian squad could score only 1 goal till the interval. Dhyan Chand removed his shoes in the interval and played the match barefooted onwards. The Indian team won the match and the Gold medal by 8-1.

In the year 1934, Dhyan Chand was appointed the captain of the Indian hockey and subsequently captained the gold winning team at the Berlin Olympics in 1936.

At the Berlin Olympics, Hitler was so impressed with his play that he offered to make him colonel (higher post) in the German army, if he agreed to play for Germany, but he politely denied the offer.

At the age of 43, he led the hockey team to the tour of East Africa in 1947. In this tour Dhyan Chand scored 61 goals in 21 matches that India played. After an illustrious carrier of 30 years, Dhyan Chand bid adieu to international hockey in 1949. He retired as Major and was also the Chief Hockey Coach at the National Institute of Sports.

After retirement, he taught at coaching camps at Mount Abu, Rajasthan. Later, he accepted the position of Chief Hockey Coach at the National Institute of Sports, Patiala, a post he held for several years. Chand spent his last days in his hometown of Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Dhyan Chand met Don Bradman, the Cricket Maestro at Adelaide in the year 1935. After watching him play Hockey, Bradman commented “He scores goals like runs in Cricket.”

Dhyan Chand died on December 3, 1979 at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi. He was cremated at the Jhansi Heroes ground in his hometown, after some initial problems in getting clearance. His regiment, the Punjab Regiment, accorded him full military honours.

For his extra-ordinary services to the nation, the Government of India celebrates Dhyan Chand’s birthday (29th of August) as National Sports Day. The President gives away sport-related awards such as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award and Dronacharya Award on this day at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, India.

The Indian Postal Service issued a postage stamp in his memory, and the Dhyan Chand National Stadium at New Delhi has been named after him. He was honored by the Padma Bhushan award by the Government of India in the year 1956. India's highest award for lifetime achievement in sports is the Dhyan Chand Award which has been awarded annually from 2002 to sporting figures who not only contribute through their performance but also contribute to the sport after their retirement.

Astro-turf hockey pitch, at the Indian Gymkhana Club in London has been named after Indian hockey legend Dhyan Chand.

Even today, Dhyan Chand remains a legendary figure in Indian and world hockey. His astounding skills have been glorified in various apocryphal stories and anecdotes. A number of such legends revolve around the fact that Singh had a magical control over dribbling the ball.
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The Flying Sikh: Milkha Singh

After clocking a world record 45.8 seconds in the 400-meter race preliminaries in France, and finishing second in all of his 400m races prior to the races, Milkha Singh – dubbed 'The Flying Sikh' – was a favorite for the gold medal. Unfortunately, he ended up missing bronze by a fraction.

In the final event he set off strongly to the fore but was overhauled by the field and finished in fourth place, this being a decision that required a photo-finish. It was a gut-wrenching moment for the champion runner.

In later years, Milkha – who in 1959 had won a Commonwealth Games gold in Cardiff – would look back at the 400m final at the Rome Olympics as a tragic moment in his sporting career.

"Since it was a photo-finish, the announcements were held up. The suspense was excruciating. I knew what my fatal error was: After running perilously fast in lane five, I slowed down at 250 metres. I could not cover the lost ground after that - and that cost me the race," he said. "After the death of my parents, that is my worst memory. I kept crying for days."

So dejected was Milkha at failing to win a medal that he even contemplated retiring from athletics. Luckily for India, he was coaxed out of such thoughts and in 1962 won two medals at the Asian Games.
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Dazzling opening ceremony launches 30th Olympic Games

London presented a vibrant picture of Great Britain's rich heritage and culture as a colourful opening ceremony marked the inauguration of the 30th Olympic Games at the spunky Olympic stadium on Friday night.

Queen Elizabeth II declared the Games open amidst thunderous cheers from the capacity crowd of 80,000 signalling the launch of the biggest sporting spectacle which returned to Britain after a gap of 64 years, giving the country the distinction of holding the mega event for an unprecedented third time.

The night sky lit up with dazzling fireworks as the Queen declared the Games open to herald London's moment of glory in the presence of as many as 100 heads of state and a host of other dignitaries who have descended on this historic city to witness the extravaganza, watched by an estimated one billion global audience.

The 27 million pound three-and-a-half-hour long opening ceremony, which magically transformed the stadium into a rural British idyll, complete with cows, horses, sheep and dogs and synthetic clouds to provide traditional British rain, was designed to give Britons a "picture of ourselves as a nation".

The 81-strong Indian contingent, the biggest ever, was led by wrestler Sushil Kumar, a bronze medallist in the 2008 Beijing Games. It was a smartly dressed Indian contingent. The men wore yellow safas, navy blue blazers, cream-coloured trousers, off-white shirts and ties, and the women were dressed in elegant sarees.

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) secretary-general Randhir Singh waved at the contingent from the VIP box.

Indians will take part in 13 disciplines. Four years ago, India won three medals, gold for shooter Abhinav Bindra and bronze medals for Sushil and boxer Vijender Singh.

Gold medal winning fencer Mariel Zagunis led the United States team into the Olympic Stadium. Two-time sabre gold-medallist Zagunis, 27, was chosen in a vote by the 529-strong American team. Four-time Olympic cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy led the Great Britain team. Hoy, 36, also carried the Union Jack at the closing ceremony in Beijing four years ago. The British team was the last of the 205 nations to enter the arena.

Basketball star Yi Jianlian led the China team. The Dallas Mavericks centre succeeds fellow basketball hero Yao Ming who carried the flag on home soil at the Beijing Games in 2008. China has brought a 396-strong team to London.

Australia's Lauren Jackson led her country's team, the first Australian woman in 20 years to carry the flag at a Summer Games. The 31-year-old Jackson was appearing at her fourth Olympic Games after leading the women's basketball team to silver in Beijing four years ago. Chef de Mission Nick Green said Jackson had been chosen for her leadership qualities on and off the court, but her appointment to carry the flag also followed a row over gender equality in Australia in recent weeks.

Five time Olympic beach volleyballer Natalia Cook said last week, apparently in jest, that she would stage a sit-down protest if she had to walk behind another male flag bearer, while there were also complaints about travel arrangements.

The women's basketball team, who have been runners-up to the United States at the last three Games, flew to London in economy class while the country's men, who have never won a medal, went in business class.

The arrangements were slammed by Australian media and politicians, forcing the country's basketball governing body to say it would review its policy. The last Australian woman to lead out the team was diver Jenny Donnet in Barcelona in 1992.

Saudi Arabia's first female Olympic athletes made their appearance at the opening ceremony to the London Games on Friday, dressed in traditional hijabs, or Islamic headscarfs. Saudi Arabia was one of three countries, alongside Brunei and Qatar, never to have sent female athletes to the Olympics but the latter two confirmed earlier this year that their delegations would include women. Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shaherkani and Sarah Attar are due to compete in the +78kg category in judo and 800 metres respectively after Saudi Arabia broke with its practice of sending male-only teams to the world's biggest multi-sports event.

On Thursday, International Judo Federation president Marius Vizer said Shaherkani would have to fight without a hijab - a decision that is likely to cause controversy in Saudi Arabia, where female participation in sports has long been a controversial issue.

Powerful clerics denounce women for exercising, saying it goes against their natural role.

Greece's Olympic team entered the stadium at the head of a parade of athletes from the 204 nations participating in the 2012 London Games. The Greeks were led by flag bearer Alexandros Nikolaidis, a two-time taekwondo silver medallist. The beleaguered country's athletes always come out first in honour of Greece's place as the birthplace of the Olympic Games. After that, countries parade in alphabetical order, with host Britain last.

Roughly 10,500 athletes are participating, although some have skipped the three-hour ceremony in order to be well-rested for competition.
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India's Olympic moments: Hockey's golden run

Olympic Gold winning Indian Hockey players

Hockey was the first sport that had the world take notice of Indian presence at Olympics. For 28 years, Indian hockey team at the biggest sports carnival, the Summer Olympics, was unbeatable. The sheer dominance was accentuated by the fact that the British played against an Indian team only when after it ceased to be their colony. This they did, apparently, to avoid the humiliation of getting defeated by one of their colonies. Hockey has earned India a total of 11 Olympic medals. This includes eight gold, one silver and two bronze medals and the last of those, a gold medal, came way back in 1980 at Moscow Games.

In fact, looking at that record it seems we missed out on two gold in 1940 and 1944, the editions that got abandoned due to the World War II.

The whole world would gasp in awe as Dhyan Chand and his teammates displayed their magic with the hockey sticks enthralling thousands of fans all over the planet, making India the undisputable champion team.

But things haven't been the same since our last golden Olympic year 1980, and less than ten days from London Olympics, that optimism, though not at its peek, is brewing once again. On that note, let's live through that golden phase of Indian hockey.

Amsterdam 1928: The beginning of a golden era


The initiation of the golden run incidentally also saw the birth of a hockey legend – Major Dhyan Chand. He burst into the limelight as the event's top scorer with 14 goals, which included a hat-trick performance in the final against the Dutch. Such was India's dominance that the team didn't concede even a single goal in five matches.

Results:
  • India beat Austria 6-0
  • India beat Belgium 9-0
  • India beat Denmark 5-0
  • India beat Switzerland 6-0
  • Final: India beat Holland 3-0

Los Angeles 1932: A low-key affair, but gold is gold


With the competition reduced to just three participating nations – India, United States and Japan – India emerged overwhelming favourites. It reflected in the two wins that earned India their second consecutive gold. They beat USA 24-1 with 10 goals from Roop Singh and eight from Dhyan Chand, before which they hammered Japan 11-1.

Results:
  • India beat Japan 11-1
  • India beat United States 24-1

Berlin 1936: Dhyan Chand's swansong


By now, Dhyanchand was 31 and after establishing himself the undisputed hockey wizard, he decided to quit the game while captaining the team in Berlin. The gold-medal match against Germany was witness to a famous Dhyan Chand anecdote. In a collision with the aggressive German goalkeeper Tito Warnholtz, Dhyan Chand lost a tooth and had to be attended on the sidelines. But upon returning, Dhyan Chand – understandably angry over the incident – took the team in a huddle urging them to teach the Germans a lesson.

What followed was an act of sheer artistic control. The Indians repeatedly took the ball into the German circle but refused to shot at goal, returning back into their half. That left the Germans humiliated. Meanwhile, India won the match by a thumping 8-1 margin, thereby completing a hat-trick of Olympic gold.

Results:
  • India beat Hungary 4-0
  • India beat USA 7-0
  • India beat Japan 9-0
  • Semi-final: India beat France 10-0
  • Final: India beat Germany 8-1

London 1948: A reason to smile post partition horror


For the Indians trying to recover from the mayhem that Indo-Pak partition caused, the first hockey team of independent India – in which every player was making his Olympic debut, including the legendary Leslie Claudius and Balbir Singh Sr. – once again became the reason to smile.

Results:
  • India beat Austria 8-0
  • India beat Argentina 9-1
  • Quarter-final: India beat Spain 2-0
  • Semi-final: India beat Holland 2-1
  • Final: India beat Britain 4-0

Helsinki 1952: Fifth gold in a row


KD Singh Babu and Balbir Singh Sr. became household names after this edition, with the latter scoring nine of India's 13 goals. Following the event, KD Singh Babu was bestowed upon the titles of 'Best Sportsman of Asia' and the 'Best Hockey Player in the World'. Having received a bye in the first round, India went on to beat Australia, Great Britain and Holland to win their fifth gold.

Results:
  • Quarter-final: India beat Austria 4-0
  • Semi-final: India beat Great Britain 3-1
  • Final: India beat Holland 6-1

Melbourne 1956: Six in the kitty


India repeated their record of 1928 by not conceding even a single goal on their way to gold. Led by Balbir Singh, India beat archrivals Pakistan in the final by a solitary goal.

Results:
  • India beat Afghanistan 14-0
  • India beat USA 16-0
  • India beat Singapore 6-0
  • Semi-final: India beat East Germany 1-0
  • Final: India beat Pakistan 1-0

Tokyo 1964: Gold returns on India's chest


Pakistan was by now gaining momentum in world hockey, especially after ending India's golden run in 1960. However, it was foolish if anybody counted the six-time champions out, who eventually went on to avenge the defeat of previous Games from Pakistan in the final. It was a taxing tournament for the team, playing nine matches in 12 days.

Results:
  • India beat Belgium 2-0
  • India drew with Germany 1-1
  • India drew with Spain 1-1
  • India beat Hong Kong 6-0
  • India beat Malaysia 3-1
  • India beat Canada 3-0
  • India beat Holland 2-1
  • Semi-final: India beat Australia 3-1
  • Final: India beat Pakistan 1-0

Moscow 1980: Weak competition allows India break 16-year gold draught


India's passage to their eighth Olympic hockey gold became easy after 71 per cent of the medal-winning nations from the 1976 Montreal Olympics boycotted the Moscow Games. The boycotting hockey nations included the three medal-winning countries from Montreal – New Zealand (gold), Australia (silver) and Pakistan (bronze).

The European hockey giants Germany and Holland also did not participate owing to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. That helped India go top of the podium from seventh in the previous edition.

Results:
  • India beat Tanzania 18-0
  • India draw with Poland 2-2
  • India draw with Spain 2-2
  • India beat Cuba 13-0
  • India beat USSR 4-2
  • Final: India beat Spain 4-3
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Olympic medals for India

MEDALNAMEOLYMPICSSPORTEVENT
Silver Norman Pritchard 1900 Paris Athletics Men's 200 metres
Silver Norman Pritchard 1900 Paris Athletics Men's 200 metres hurdles
Gold National team 1928 Amsterdam Field hockey Men's competition
Gold National team 1932 Los Angeles Field hockey Men's competition
Gold National team 1936 Berlin Field hockey Men's competition
Gold National team 1948 London Field hockey Men's competition
Gold National team 1952 Helsinki Field hockey Men's competition
Bronze Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav 1952 Helsinki Wrestling Men's freestyle bantamweight
Gold National team 1956 Melbourne Field hockey Men's competition
Silver National team 1960 Rome Field hockey Men's competition
Gold National team 1964 Tokyo Field hockey Men's competition
Bronze National team 1968 Mexico Field hockey Men's competition
Bronze National team 1972 Munich Field hockey Men's competition
Gold National team 1980 Moscow Field hockey Men's competition
Bronze Leander Paes 1996 Atlanta Tennis Men's singles
Bronze Karnam Malleswari 2000 Sydney Weightlifting Women's 69 kg
Silver Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore 2004 Athens Shooting Men's double trap
Bronze Sushil Kumar 2008 Beijing Wrestling 66 kg freestyle wrestling even
Gold Abhinav Bindra 2008 Beijing Shooting Men's 10m Air Rifle
Bronze Vijender Singh 2008 Beijing Boxing Middleweight (75 kg)
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India's Olympic moments: Vijender Singh wins bronze


At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, not much was expected from the young Vijender Singh, created history by winning bronze and thus becoming the first boxer to win a medal in Olympics for India.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics Vijender booked his bronze medal defeating Carlos Gongora of 9–4 in the quarterfinals to ensure him the bronze. Vijender lost 5–8 to Cuba's Emilio Correa in the semi-finals and shared a bronze medal with Ireland's Darren Sutherland.

His Olympic bronze earned him a series of awards back home, including the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, the country’s highest sporting honor, in 2008. A few months after Vijenders arned a bronze at the 2009 World Amateur Boxing Championship in Milan, he was declared the world No. 1 middleweight boxer by the AIBA International Boxing Association.
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India's Olympic moments: Olympic Gold Medalist Abhinav Bindra

Abhinav Bindra, is the current World and Olympic Champion in Air Rifle shooting. He is the first ever Indian to win an individual Gold Medal since 1900 – the year our country participated in the Olympic games for the first time. He won the 10 m Air Rifle event in 2008 Beijing Olympics. His unparalleled achievements in the shooting arena have made the nation proud and he has been bestowed with honors from a very young age due to his consummate performances on the international stage.

For his feat, the ever smiling Bindra has been bestowed with numerous accolades and cash prizes. He received the Arjuna Award at the young age of 17 and has been the youngest recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awards – the highest sporting honor in the country at 18 years. Abhinav has also been decorated with the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honor, in 2009 after his historic Gold Medal win at the Beijing Olympics.
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India's Olympic moments: Sushil wins bronze

In the countdown to the 2012 London Olympics, we retrace some memorable Indian moments at the historical games. Today, a look at Sushil Kumar's wrestling bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In the summer of 2008, Sushil Kumar became a household name in India following his stupendous show at the Beijing Games where he became only the second Indian to win an Olympic wrestling bronze after KD Jadhav in Helsinki in 1952.


Son of a driver, Sushil Kumar not only realised the dream his father once harboured but also put Boprala on wrestling map of the world by winning a Olympic bronze medal.

Sushil - who tasted his first success when he won the gold medal at the World Cadet Games in 1998 - had made his Olympics debut four years prior in Athens 2004, where he finished 14th in the 60 kilograms category. In Beijing, he entered in the 66kg category.

He lost to Andriy Stadnik from Ukraine in the first round, leaving his medal hopes hinging on the repechage. Kumar defeated American Doug Schwab in the first repechage round and Belarusian Albert Batyrov in the second repechage round, before beating Leonid Spiridonov of Kazakhstan to win the bronze.

He followed up with gold medals at the Wrestling World Championships, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games in 2010. He was subsequently awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna prize by the government for his outstanding achievements in sport.

Sushil defeated Leonid Spiridonov of Kazakhstan 3:1. This was the first time in 56 years an Indian had managed to win a medal in wrestling. He continued his exploits with a gold medal in 2010 World Wrestling Championship in Moscow.
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Indian flag hoisted at Olympic Games Village


At an elegant and colorful ceremony, Indian contingent was today formally welcomed and ushered into the Olympics Games Village. Games Village Mayor Charles Allan welcomed Indian deputy Chef de Mission Brig P K M Raja, the sportspersons and officials to become part of the Village as the Indian tricolor was hosted while the National anthem was played. Brig Raja exchanged mementos with Charles Allan and then signed on the peace statue pledging India’s unstinted support for spreading the gospel of peace and the Olympic movement.

Perhaps for the first time in recent years that such an impressive welcome ceremony is being conducted by the Organisers of the Game. The Athletes and the officials were overwhelmed with the warmth and positive energy emanated by the troupe belonging to the National Youth theater who enthralled the audience with their superlative acrobatics and performances.

Tennis stars Mahesh Bhupathi, Rohan Boppana, world number 1 Archer Deepika Kumari along with her two team mates, some hockey players, boxers, and officials attended the function.

Indian contingent has been housed in Titan House in the Seaside block.

Later Brig Raja said “All the Indian sports persons who have moved into the village are fit and excited about the Games.’They are very happy with their preparations.” He disclosed that at the daily meetings chaired by him, the coaches and managers have given positive feedback about their teams.

The sportspersons at the village are fully supported by a medical team of four doctors, Dr Sarla Rao(Head of the team) Dr Sanjogita Soodan, Dr B B Nayak and Dr Abhishek Choudhary,- three Physiotherapists- Mr Ramesh Trivedi,HariShankar Varma and Srikant Iyengar. They are available 24×7.

In addition to this staff a large number of masseurs are available at the Games Village Gym and their services can be utilized with prior appointment.

Brig Raja said Dr Sarla has informed him that she is going to get a masseurs for Indian Sports persons on permanent basis. Brig Raja added that sportspersons are very happy with the medical and the support staff of the IOA.
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Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore - Athens Olympic silver medal in 2004


Colonel Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore is an Indian shooter who won the silver medal in Men's Double Trap at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. He is the first Indian (post independence) to win an individual silver, after Norman Pritchard, a British citizen, who won two silver medals at the 1900 Paris Olympics.

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore was born on January 29, 1970 in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, in an army background. While his father, Laxman Singh Rathore, is a Col. in the Indian Army and his mother, Manju Rathore, is a teacher. Though nicknamed 'Chilly' at home, according to his parents, Rathore is a soft-spoken and down to earth person.

His exploits made him a national hero and a poster boy for Indian army. Rathore brought the entire nation to its feet with that awe-inspiring performance, in Men's Double Trap event. The sports loving lad from Rajasthan had interest in cricket but his fate brought him to National Defence Academy and from there he emerged as an ace shooter.

In the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, he won the Individual Gold Medal setting a new Commonwealth Games Record, 192 targets out of 200, which still stands. He also won the Team Gold Medal with (Moraad Ali Khan). Rathore, went on to successfully defend his Commonwealth Champion title by winning the Gold Medal at the (Melbourne) Commonwealth Games in 2006. He also won the Silver in the Team event with (Vikram Bhatnagar). He has won Gold Medals in two World Cup Shooting Competitions, in (Sydney) 2004 and (Cairo) 2006. In 2006 he won the Bronze Medal in the World Cup Final in (Spain) (an event only for the top 12 shooters of the world). He was ranked no 3 in the world for the most of the year of 2003 and 2004 and briefly went on to be the world no 1 in early 2004 and the world no 2 after the Athens Olympics. He also won a world Championship Bronze Medal in 2003 after a gap of nearly 40 years (earlier in 1962 Karni Singh of Bikaner had won a silver medal in the World shooting Championship in Cairo). Incidentally Rathore too belongs to the family of Bikaner. Rajyavardhan is accredited for winning the Asian Clay Target Gold Medal for four times in a row, year 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. He also holds an Individual Bronze Medal which he won in Doha, Asian Games 2006.In all, from the period of 2002 to 2006 he had won 25 International Medals in highly competitive competitions in his sport of Doubletrap Shooting.

He awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (Highest Sporting Honour of India) in 2005 and Arjuna Award in 2003 -2004. Rathore is a recipient of the Padma Shri, a civilian award from the Government of India.

Rathore was the chosen flag bearer for India during the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia and flag bearer for India during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

He is a now a Colonel in the Indian Army. An alumnus of National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla Pune (N.D.A)
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