13 Indian Athletes who battled their way to Success

                                                13 Indian Athletes who battled to Glory

                   


                                                                         

DHANRAJ PILLAI is a son of a worker at a local Ammunition factory and he practiced with a broken hockey sticks pasted up with gum and strings. After, all these initial hiccups in his career, he grew to score around 170 goals in 339 International matches for India. He had led India to a Gold Medal in 1998 Asian Games as well as in Asia Cup in the year 2003.

                                                                 

MILKA SINGH  was a boy who witnessed the killings of his parents and siblings during partition, after which he ran for his life and struggled for rehabilitation which had also driven him to become a petty thief stealing goods from trains. However, all these early difficulties in his life had driven him to win 77 of the 80 races he ran and made him to bring home 4 golds in Asian Games and 1 in Common Wealth Games, though he missed an Bronze medal by 1/100th of second in the 1960 Rome Olympics.

                                                             

MARY KOM was a daughter of a landless agricultural laborer, but that did not stop her from becoming an Five - time world Amateur Champion, the only women boxer to win a medal in all 6 World Championships, an Bronze medal in the 2012 London Olympics and last but not the least 1 Gold and 1 Bronze in the last concluded Asian Games.

                                                                   

PT USHA was the 2nd of six children and her Father ran a small cloth store, she also faced ill health and financial instability as a young girl. She is called as the " Queen of Indian Track and Field ". She is a winner of 13 Gold medals in the Asian Games and Asian Championships. However, she missed the 400 metre hurdles Bronze in 1984 Los Angeles Olympics by 1/100th of a second.

                                                                     

GAGAN NARANG was able to get a rifle after his father sold his property for money. But, he won Bronze in the 2012  London Olympics, 8 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze Medal in the Common Wealth Games, he also won 2 Silver and 3 Bronze Medals in the Asian Games.

                                                                   

KRISHNA POORNIA milked buffaloes at her father's dairy as a substitute to modern fitness equipment, to strengthen her arms and improve muscle power. She became the First Indian Women to reach the Final in Discus Throw in Olympics. She also 1 Gold Medal in the Commonwealth Games 2 Bronzes at Asian Games.

                                                                   

SAINA NEHWAL struggled to train and her father borrowed to pay for coaching and equipment. But currently, she is a Bronze Medalist in 2012 London Olympics, Silver Medalist at 2015 BWF World Championship, the winner of 1 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze medals at the Common Wealth Games. She was ranked no.1 in Women's Singles by Badminton World Federation in 2015. She was Honored with Padma Shri, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award.

                                                                   

     
                             

SARDARA SINGH  practiced after his mother borrowed money to buy him shoes and kit, but later on became the youngest player to captain the Indian National Hockey Team. He had led India to Gold at the 2014 Commonweatlh Games. He was Honored with Padma Shri in 2015.

                                                                 

SARITA DEVI hails from an economically backward agricultural family in Manipur, she had helped her parentsin collecting firewood and in the fields. However, she won a Silver Medal at the Asian Boxing Championships in 2001, an Gold medal at the 2006 World Championships and an Silver Medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

                                                                   

SHIVA KESHAVAN competed without a coach or Winter Sports Infrastructure in the Country and had been constantly struggling for funds to compete. But, after all these he turned to become a Five Time Olympian, the first Indian to compete in luge at the Winter Olympics. He also holds the World record for the Youngest ever Olympian in Luge ( 16 years ) and had won 2 Gold, 1 Silver and 2 Bronze in Asian Luge Cup.

                                                             

SHUBHAM JAGLAN was the son of a milkman from a small village in Haryana and practiced using shabby clubs in the fields and watching YouTube Videos. But, later he turned out to become India's Golfing Prodigy and won the Junior World Golf Championships in California and won the Taylormade World Juniors in July, 2013. He also won IJGA World Stars of Junior Golf in July 2015.

                                                                 

VIJENDER SINGH is the son of a bus driver with Haryana Roadways and his father worked over time to support his education. But, that helped him become the First India Boxer to win an Olympic Medal, 2 Silver and 1 Bronze Medal at the Commonwealth Games and 1 Gold and 1 Bronze Medal at the Asian Games.

                                                                   

SUSHIL KUMAR is the son of  a DTC bus driver and practiced with minimal funds and poor training facilities. He won 1 Bronze and 1 Silver at the Olympic Games. He also won an Gold at the 2010 World Wrestling Championship, he also won 2 Commonwealth Gold Medals and 1 Gold, 1 Silver and 3 Bronze at the Asian Games.

Jeni and Santo