CHENNAI: Boxing, badminton and shooting are three key disciplines in the Indian sporting circuit that usually return with rich rewards from almost all international competitions including World Championships and Olympics. The athletes from these events have made giant strides over the years. And that reflects on their performance at the Olympics, considered the pinnacle of sports. Those disciplines are responsible in bringing a sizeable chunk of medals (12 out of 47 medals) that the country has won in the history of Summer Games. That number is striking to say the least. And that has generally been the theme in other noteworthy events across the globe.
These athletes, over the years, have added to their reputation. Thanks to their contribution to the Indian sporting ecosystem, they have attained a good level of influence. Cricketers, without a doubt, take the chunk of the pie in terms of perks and influence. But sportspersons from these three fields have also been gradually attaining prominence. That has meant more money has exchanged hands with the government and private firms heavily investing in these games. PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal (before Sindhu), Manu Bhaker, MC Mary Kom, Lovlina Borgohain, Vijender Singh are some of the influential names that have left a strong imprint on the Indian sporting circuit.
The rise in popularity also follows close scrutiny. They have grown to become a routine fixture for sports fans across the country. The level of expectations have also soared simultaneously.
As the dust settled after the 2024 Paris Games, each discipline had its own goals for the new year. For shooting, which fetched three medals during the Paris Games, it was all about consolidating and maintaining rhythm ahead of bigger targets. But for boxing and badminton, who had endured a forgetful Summer in Paris, it was all about soul-searching for the athletes and regaining strength.
While shooters continued to thrive and produce some eye-catching performances, badminton continued to remain in the shadows. Boxing, on the other hand, had its share of highlights and lowlights.
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On the backdrop of Olympic high, Indian shooters had entered the season brimming with plenty of belief. "This is the first year in the new Olympic cycle. This time we have a very strong bench strength. It is a very interesting situation right now. We have to maintain it for the next three, four years now," India rifle head coach Deepali Deshpande had declared before the year set in motion.
The primary objective was to hand exposure to all the top level shooters in the national setup. The NRAI policy was framed in such a way that those objectives are met. As the season got underway with the South American leg, the Indian shooters started where they had left 2024, finishing second and third in the overall medals tally at Buenos Aires and Lima, respectively. Suruchi Singh was the latest talent to announce herself to the world as she captured three back-to-back gold medals in the women's 10m air pistol category. So did pistol shooter Samrat Rana, who became a world champion in his first shot at the senior World Championships in Cairo, Egypt. Rifle shooter Elavenil Valarivan, meanwhile, was also in full flow all along as she gunned down three individual medals, including a bronze at the World Championships. The fact that India captured eight medals in Olympic disciplines in the said World Championships was unprecedented.
So it was largely smooth sailing all along. It was a case of well-thought planning (all the stakeholders), backed by proper execution.
But the process is still on and the coaches and shooters know this is just the beginning of a long road ahead. That is the mental make-up that has helped the team evolve. It's visible that national rifle head coach Deepali Deshpande, one of the big helping hands in rifle shooting, is very much at peace with the overall script. She is focussed on the process and it's clear that there's still plenty of room for the shooters to elevate their game.
"Yes, we did very well this year. But if you see the performance of the rifle shooters towards the end, it should have been better. But I didn't expect it to be better, because it was not our goal this year. The World Championships was just like testing waters," Deepali said, while trying to breakdown this year's output, especially during the World Championships
"I see from an insiders' perspective and I know where we stand. It could have been better. Of course, you want to be like China, where you send team A or team B, anybody, anywhere and they win. We are somewhere there. Not exactly there, but close. We do win...When rifle shooters win, pistol shooters might not have the same performance and vice versa. At the end of day, we are top-two or top three in the medals tally. That's always there. I'm not really worried about it since it was a training year. Until you get the exact result that you wanted, there will be specks of doubt here and there," she added.
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As many as six Indian boxers had entered the 2024 Paris Games. With the women (four) outnumbering the men (two) for the first time, the spotlight was predominantly on pugilists like Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain, who was eyeing a second straight Olympic medal. Nikhat, in the build-up to the Games, had ticked all the right boxes and was a genuine prospect to climb the podium. And so was the latter given her consistency and her pursuit of excellence. However, Paris eventually turned out to be a disaster with both falling short of their goals. Likewise, the rest had suffered similar fate. It was time for the boxers and the stakeholders involved in the sport to regroup and find fresh strategies before entering a new cycle. However, with Boxing Federation of India elections facing multiple delays and court proceedings, the boxers were forced to take the back seat. The issues surrounding the said elections, which was finally conducted in August, meant there was some level of uncertainty, even though some of the elite boxers were taking part at international competitions. But it was far from an ideal scenario.
Nikhat and Lovlina, the mainstays, were largely inactive before they finally made their comeback at the World Championships which was staged at Liverpool in September. Given their lack of activity, this time they had entered the event with plenty of question marks. As the event commenced, Lovlina, unable to shake off ring rust, was one of the first big names to bow out. Nikhat, chasing her third straight gold, also stood helpless as she was shown the exit door in the quarterfinal stage. The men boxers, with plenty of first-timers, were also getting to learn the harsh reality at the big stage. But four women stood tall. Jaismine Lamboria and Meenakshi Hooda went on to author a fairytale for themselves by capturing gold while Nupur Sheoran and Pooja Rani returned with a silver and bronze medal, respectively. It was a cathartic experience for the boxing contingent. Jaismine, in particular, demonstrated that she made significant strides this season.
And the pugilists signed off the season by winning medals across 20 categories (with nine claiming gold) during the World Cup finals. However, it must be noted that several top-ranked boxers had given the event a miss since this was the last tournament of the season.
With familiar face Santiago Nieva, recently appointed as women's head coach by BFI, expected to arrive in India by January, the likes of Jaismine and Meenakshi will be hoping to replicate this year's performance in 2026. For Nikhat and Lovlina, it will be a case of regaining their mojo and entering in good shape before key meets like Asian Championships, CWG and Asiad.
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The badminton players from the country had toiled last year with some of the elite players, mainly due to recurring injuries, failing to find any sort of momentum. The young faces had struggled to adapt at the highest level which is not a very healthy sign. The Paris Games was the lowest point in the last decade as the shuttlers returned empty-handed.
Since Saina's historic bronze at the 2012 London Games, India, through PV Sindhu, had fetched two medals in the following editions in Rio and Tokyo. Lakshya Sen was within sight to maintain that streak before narrowly missing out in bronze medal playoffs. Even the doubles partnership of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who had entered Games in a healthy state, had flattered to deceive, leaving the Indian think-tank with plenty to mull. If 2024 seemed like a trough, the show in 2025 was not at their best levels. If the top shuttlers failed to impress, the ones who were supposed to fill in the shoes of the seniors seemed raw and lack the finesse.
The Badminton Association of India (BAI), who has been looking to push youngsters and build a strong pool of players at the senior level, knew they needed somebody to add that spark. And they were hopeful that the likes of Sindhu and HS Prannoy, the go-to players in the past, could regain their touch going into the new season.
But the problems persisted. Barring Lakshya Sen, none of the old-timers came close to seriously challenging for a title in the singles department. The up-and-coming shuttlers, who have been in the picture for the last few years or so, were also largely anonymous. Ayush Shetty, who upset some top-ranked shuttlers, was perhaps one of the few bright spots for India. Unnati Hooda, 18, is another who produced a few good wins here and there to offer little hope going ahead. The fact that she competed in as many as 17 tournaments on the BWF World Tour is a step in the right direction as she looks to attain more high-level experience.
While rest of the young faces look to cement their names at the elite circuit were mostly subdued. Though the BAI is banking heavily on the younger shuttlers to find rhythm, this year has not lived up to its expectations. Natural progression seems to have halted. Having said that, some of the junior shuttlers, led by Tanvi Sharma, did show some promise by capturing a historic bronze during the 2025 BWF World Junior Championships. But they are still at a developmental phase and could take some years before they evolve to take be competitive at the elite level.
With India set to host the World Championships in 2026, the shuttlers will have to turn over a new leaf if they intend to be among challengers by the time it arrives.