Who were the breakout stars in Indian sport in 2023?

Rahul Iyer

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Who were the breakout stars in Indian sport in 2023? image

With the calendar year drawing to a close, there is no better time to look back on the performances of India's athletes in 2023. It was a busy one for Indian sport, with the Asian Games, Asian Para Games and Cricket World Cup all taking place among other major tournaments.

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India's performance in the continental competitions was stellar, as both contingents returned with over 100 medals for the first time ever. Athletes like Neeraj Chopra and Lakshya Sen also took their games to new heights.

But here, it is time to celebrate those athletes who made a name for themselves in 2023, and made India believe they would be the future of their sports. Here, The Sporting News brings you the breakout stars in Indian sport in 2023. 

Aditi Gopichand Swami - Archery

At just 17 years old, Aditi Gopichand Swami has achieved more than anyone her age can ever dream of doing. At the start of 2023, she had won individual and team world titles in the U18 category, leading to a call-up to the senior national team.

Aditi made history, winning the compound bow team event at the World Archery Championships along side Parneet Kaur and childhood hero Jyothi Surekha Vennam. It was India's first-ever medal at the games.

 

 

The best was still to come, though. She went on to win the individual event at the World Championships as well, becoming India's first champion, and the youngest-ever in the World Cup era. In October, Aditi put the cherry on top of the cake, winning gold at the Asian Games to announce her arrival on the big stage with a bang.

Jyothi Yarraji - Athletics

After impressing at various age-level and university tournaments, Indian track star Jyothi Yarraji caught the eye in 2022, when she broke Anuradha Biswal's long-standing national record for the 100 m hurdles.

Since then, Jyothi has taken her game to the next level, breaking her own record multiple times as well as repeatedly smashing the indoor 60m hurdles in 2023. Jyothi won a total of 4 medals in major competitions this year, starting with silver at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships.

 

 

She followed it up with two medals at the Asian Athletics Championships; silver in the 200m sprint and gold in the 100m hurdles. Jyothi rounded off the year by securing silver in the 100m hurdles event at the Asian games in Hangzhou, and gold in the same event for Andhra Pradesh in the National Games. 

Sheetal Devi - Para-archery

At the tender age of 16, para-archer Sheetal Devi has made herself a household name with her remarkable achievements in 2023. Born with a condition called phocomelia, Sheetal has no use of her upper limbs. After attempting to use prosthetics, her coaches eventually decided to train her in the use of her legs in order to compete in archery tournament.

Eleven years after American para-archer Matt Strutzman shot with his legs at the 2012 Paralympics, Sheetal managed to go one better than him. Following Strutzman's template, she shot her way to becoming the first-ever international para-archery champion without upper limbs.

 

 

Overcoming both her age and her condition, Sheetal secured three medals at the Asian Para Games; silver in the doubles compound bow, and gold in the mixed team and individual compound bow.

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Rahul Iyer

Rahul Iyer Photo

Rahul is a content producer for The Sporting News' India edition.