Top 5 Indian sporting moments of 2021, according to Google Search Trends Report
2021 was one memorable year for Indian sports as numerous unforgettable moments were recorded throughout the year. From massive feats at the Olympics and Paralympics, to unnecessary controversies in cricket, this year had it all. In fact, the recently published Google Search Trends Report contains top 5 Indian sporting moments of the year. Here’s a look at them.
Neeraj Chopra’s Olympic gold medal
The greatest possible sporting moment for India in 2021 has to be Neeraj Chopra winning the gold medal at the Summer Tokyo Olympics after a long wait of 13 years. On the penultimate day of the mega sporting event, Neeraj Chopra took the world by surprise when his brilliant javelin throw of 87.58 metres won him the gold making him India’s second Olympic gold medallist in an individual event after shooter Abhinav Bindra in 2008. In fact, Chopra also achieved the feat of becoming the first ever Indian to win a track and field medal at the Olympics.
Most number of Olympics medals in hockey
In the previous century, India had always been a champion in hockey, especially at the Olympics. However, that period of prominence was long gone until this year’s Summer Tokyo Olympics, where the men’s hockey team won bronze medal. India had missed winning any medal at the Olympics for nine consecutive times, but in 2021 they fought hard to end this losing streak. With this year’s bronze medal, India now has 12 Olympic medals, the maximum number for any country in the world.
India’s test win on Australian soil
The remarkable test win of Indian men’s cricket team against Australia on the Australian soil was one of the most memorable sporting moments for the country in 2021. The way India bounced back from their 36 all out disappointing performance in the very first test to beating the formidable opponents in the fourth and final test with a subpar team (most of the players from the main team were down with injuries and the skipper had to leave for a personal emergency), and winning the series by 2-1 will always be remembered as one of the biggest Indian sporting highlights of the year.
Highest number of Paralympics medal ever
If the Olympics feat was impressive for India, the Paralympics took it further up by players securing 19 medals for India, including 5 gold medals. What made this year’s Paralympics the most successful ever for India is the record number of medals. The stories of para-athletes and their struggles made the victories far more heart-warming.
PV Sindhu’s Olympics medal record
By winning bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, PV Sindhu, the Indian badminton champion became the first female athlete to win more than one medal at the Olympics. Earlier, in 2016, Sindhu had won the silver medal in the Rio Olympics.