Young guns Saurabh Chaudhary, Elavenil Valarivan and Divyansh Singh Panwar were presented the Golden Target award by International Shooting Fedaration (ISSF) earlier this month in Munich, for finishing the season as No 1 in their events. A few days later, Deepak Punia was named Junior Freestyle Wrestler of the Year by United World Wrestling (UWW).
These recognitions are telling. They are young. They are fearless. Above all, they live by the old mantra of “nothing is impossible”. Over the last twelve months or so, several young Indian athletes have made heads turn by doing the unthinkable. Gone are those days where the country relied on a few seasoned stars; a majority of other sportspersons settling for mediocrity. This is not to suggest that those of yesteryears lacked the willingness to dig deep and fight. But winning a medal at an elite competition was a near-impossible task.
That’s not the case these days. For the current swelling talent-pool, winning is sine qua non. Teenagers have entered marquee events, and shocked veterans twice their age. Take the case of Punia, who’d announced himself to the world this year with a World Junior Championships gold. The first Indian wrestler in 18 years to get one. A stat that speaks for itself.India have always churned out medal-prospect wrestlers since Sushil Kumar’s pathbreaking bronze in the 2008 Olympics. This year, 20-year-old Punia proved that he belongs in the big league, bagging silver at the worlds. A rapid transition from junior to senior, indeed.
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How has Punia become a world-beater in such a short span? For Punia, the sport is like a religion. He’s been wrestling ever since he learnt how to walk, reveals coach Virender Dalal. It was Dalal who took him under his wings and schooled him during his tender years in Chhara village (Jhajjar). “Wrestling is a tradition,” observes the man who has been guiding wrestlers since 1995. “People who win international medals are highly respected. Also, young guys know that they can get a secure job if they join. It was no different for him.”
Punia’s state-mate Ravi Kumar Dahiya’s tale is similar. Like Punia, he also medalled (bronze) in this year’s World Championships, his maiden bow. The 22-year-old is also under Dalal’s tutelage. Both train at New Delhi’s Chhatrasal Stadium, an acclaimed wrestling school that has produced the likes of Sushil and Yogeshwar Dutt. They have not looked back since.
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Saurabh prefers to keep to himself. He is generally quiet. But with a pistol in his hand, he makes loud bangs. He’s just 17. But he has a record that the previous generation may struggle to come close to. Like Punia, his transition from the junior to senior circuit has been effortless. In this year, he has as many as nine elite-level medals.Elavenil (20) and Divyansh (20) are other shooters who have revelled at the big stage this year. Medals and records. That has been a common theme. This rise of teenaged shooters is no surprise. Especially for coaches like Deepali Deshpande who has worked closely with them.
“These shooters came up around 2017. The junior programme was already four years old. By then, the training system was set and the policies were in place. So, when these guys came in, we already had some form of experience with the first batch of juniors,” she explains.
It goes without saying that facilities have improved drastically in recent times. The tools needed for success are easily accessible. And there are many former shooters like Deshpande, who have played a vital role in shaping young minds. “This new generation, wherever they come from, come with a free mind. In fact, they come with a sense of entitlement. They feel they deserve the best in the world. So for us coaches, it’s easier to push them.”
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Badminton has a rich following in the country. Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu draw many fans. But shuttlers in the doubles section have always been an afterthought. Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa fought to change that, but the discipline is yet to be regarded in the same light as singles. But Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty made a case this year, winning Thailand Open: the first time an Indian doubles pair clinched a Super 500 crown.
That spurred them. They beat more-famed rivals in the next two tournaments — in France and China — reaching the final and semifinal. In hindsight, zero expectations helped the duo. They had started the season behind schedule, as they were recuperating from injuries. “All those wins gave us so much confidence. We had zero expectations and played our natural game. It was a great feeling,” Satwik recalls.
“We carried the never-give-up attitude. Now, we have the experience to handle crucial situations. We became mentally and physically stronger as the year progressed.”
A rise in performance will lead to heightened expectations. The duo, currently World No 12, have the right attitude going forward. “It feels good to be recognised for your efforts, but we still have so much to learn,” Satwik remarks.
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MC Mary Kom secured a record eighth medal at the World Championships in Ulan-Ude (Russia), making the marquee event her own.But there was another notable performance in the women’s section. Manju Rani, who was barely two when Mary had her first hit at the 2001 edition, was the best performer: a silver.
Like Punia and Chaudhary, her evolution has been rapid. In January, she’d won the nationals in her first attempt. She then clinched silver at her first international meet, before claiming the medal of the same colour at the Worlds. Apart from talent, what has catalysed the 20-year-old’s rise are exposure tours. “It (Worlds) did not feel like she was competing in a major competition,” notes national chief coach Mohammed Ali Qamar. Also, training alongside Mary has fuelled Manju. “Along with other youngsters in the camp, she watches them (Mary & Co) practice and gets that motivation.”
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Anyone who breaks any record set by Sachin Tendulkar is bound to create a buzz.
A 15-year-old girl from Rohtak recently did that. A 49-ball 73 against West Indies during a T20I in November saw Shafali Verma become the youngest to score a fifty in international cricket. It was Tendulkar who had initially inspired her to take up the sport. Cricket is an obsession in her family. Her father Sanjeev wanted to become a cricketer, but that dream never materialised. Initially, the idea of Shafali playing cricket was frowned upon by many in her neighbourhood. She had been denied coaching many times just because she was born a girl.
But the right-hander’s passion was indomitable. Shafali played the sport after disguising hereself as a boy. She would hammer the others all over the park. “She was unstoppable. Playing alongside boys has helped in her development,” recollects Verma senior. Now, the young prodigy is in a good place. More records beckon.
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Coming from a small town near Aizawl, Lalremsiami had a major language barrier when she joined the women’s hockey team in 2017. She had to carry around a Hindi-to-Mizo dictionary. During her first major competition (Asia Cup), she misunderstood then-coach Harendra Singh’s instructions. India lost that match. But all that’s in the past. With 42 appearances and 15 goals, the 19-year-old is tipped to be the next big thing. She was part of the team that won the FIH Series Finals earlier this year.
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Anirudh Thapa is just 21. But on the football pitch, he is a vital midfield cog for both India and Chennaiyin FC. The Dehradun boy is cerebral; a rare trait among Indian footballers, especially those his age. And he has become better and better over the last twelve months.
When India held Asian powerhouse Qatar for a historic draw during the World Cup Qualifiers a few months ago, he played a key role. John Gregory may not be a part of the Chennaiyin dugout any more, but his lavish praises for Thapa still echo at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
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With their undeniable talent and their open outlook, these rare gems offer hope for the future. With many more knocking on the door, India definitely seem to be on the right track.
Deepak Punia
The 20-year-old announced himself to the world in 2019 by winning the 86kg freestyle title in Estonia, to become India’s first world junior champion in 18 years. To top that off, Deepak showed that he is also one for the future by bagging silver at the senior World Championships in Kazakhstan. By doing so, he also secured a spot in the Tokyo Olympics. Deepak had a dream year when he was named ‘Junior Wrestler of the Year’ by United World Wrestling.
Elavenil Valarivan
Despite 2019 being a very successful year for Indian shooters in general, Elavenil, 20, is the only Indian who sits atop the world rankings. In February, she missed out on a podium finish at the World Cup in Munich. But the 10m air rifle shooter made up for it by claiming a gold in Rio. In doing so, she became only the third Indian woman shooter to finish first in the event after Apurvi Chandela and Anjali Bhagwat. In November, she added to her tally by winning a gold in China.
Manju Rani
Until last year, not many knew about Manju. But 2019 changed everything for the 20-year-old. She won the national title in January and followed it up with a silver at the Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in Bulgaria. In May, she added to that by getting a bronze at the India Open. But what made her talent stand out was the World Championships silver in October. At Ulan-Ude, Russia, the Punjab boxer beat some of the world’s best to enter final where she went down to Russia’s Ekaterina Paltceva in the light flyweight category.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty
For all the top names in Indian badminton, 2019 belonged to Satwiksairaj and Chirag. The shuttlers had a breakthrough season by winning their maiden Super 500 title at Thailand Open. They almost bettered that but went down in the finals of the Super 750 French Open. And a few weeks back, they were nominated by BWF for the ‘Most Improved Player of the Year’ award. With a career-high world ranking of 7, they could well be India’s surprise package at the Olympics.
Saurabh Chaudhary
If he showed glimpses of what he is capable of in 2018, the Uttar Pradesh shooter kicked it up a notch in 2019. He bagged a total of six World Cup medals (2 individual and 4 team). He also got a bronze in Rio. If that isn’t enough, the 10m air pistol shooter bagged a gold at the Asian Airgun Championship in the mixed team event. Wait. The medal tally is not over yet. The 17-year-old got two silver — one each in individual and mixed team events — at the Asian Shooting Championships.
Divyansh Singh Panwar
Another 17-year-old who had a terrific year. But it did not start the way he would have wanted. After a 12th-placed finish at the World Cup in New Delhi, the 10m air rifle shooter bagged silver in Beijing and by doing so, secured India’s fourth Olympic quota. He also bagged a team event gold in China. After that, the Jaipur native was on a roll. Two more mixed team titles in Munich and Putian, China followed by a bronze in Rio. He claimed an individual gold at the World Cup Final in Putian.
Lalremsiami
The 19-year-old did not just showcase her talents on the pitch. During the Women’s Series Finals, the Mizoram girl showed how tough she is mentally — she lost her father to a heart attack but she decided to stay with the team till the end. She was a vital cog for the team as the Indian women secured their place in consecutive Olympics for the first time. She scored a total of 10 goals this year. Two of them came in the Women’s Series Finals and one in the Olympic Test Event. Recently, she was nominated for FIH’s ‘Rising Star of the Year’ award.
Ravi Kumar Dahiya
Ravi had to deal with a lot of injuries early in his career. After a silver at the Junior World Championships in 2015, he was tipped for great things. But in 2017, a knock to the knee during the senior nationals ruled him out for a year. He bounced back by bagging a silver at the U-23 World Championships next year. And with a bronze and an Olympic quota in the Worlds, the 22-year-old proved that he is cut out to battle against the best.
Shafali Verma
From idolising Sachin Tendulkar to breaking his record of the youngest Indian to score an international fifty, this 15-year-old (yes, you read that right) has had some year. The Rohtak girl made her WT20I debut for India, against South Africa, in September and by doing so, she became the youngest woman to play for India in the format. Her story is even more special as growing up, she had to play with boys as there were no girls’ team in her age category. Shafali’s 78-ball 124 against Australia A is further proof that she is one of India’s brightest young stars.
Anirudh Thapa
Thapa is one youngster who has been a break out star for both club and country. After a title-winning season with Chennaiyin FC (2017-18), the midfielder proved that he can be a vital cog for India too. The third goal against Thailand in the Asian Cup is a testament to that. After Udanta Singh found the gap to run into the Thai defence, he laid the ball off to Thapa, who looked up before calmly lobbing the ball. From passing to shooting to pressing, Thapa’s energy is unbelievable.