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The year 2022 has been quite a whirlwind of emotions, with India scripting history by achieving a plethora of wonderful feats across sectors. From getting its first president from the tribal community to Indian athletes shining at the Commonwealth Games. Let’s revisit some of the moments that made us swell with pride this year.
Indian athletes make the nation proud
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that 2022 was the year of sports. From track and field athlete Neeraj Chopra to weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, Indian sportspersons shined at various international events, with Commonwealth Games being the major highlight.
Neeraj Chopra
In 2022, Chopra created history by winning a silver medal for his 88.13m throw in the men's javelin throw final in Oregon. For the unversed, this is India's only second medal at the World Athletics Championships after Anju Bobby George’s bronze for long jump in 2003. That’s not it, Chopra also won a silver at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland this year. To make it a hat trick, add his Diamond League championship in Zürich to it, which makes him the first Indian to do so.
PV Sindhu
The most celebrated badminton player, PV Sindhu won the silver medal in the mixed team event at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, making it her fourth CWG medal. The world champion also bagged her first gold medal at CWG by winning the women’s singles title against the 2014 CWG champion Michelle Li of Canada.
Saikhom Mirabai Chanu
The Olympic silver medallist won silver at the 2022 World Weightlifting Championships in Colombia this year. Adding another feather to her cap, the weightlifter also won India's first gold medal at the Commonwealth Games this year in the women’s 49 KG weightlifting category.
Manika Batra
The Indian table tennis player made history at the Asian Cup Table Tennis Tournament by becoming the first Indian woman to win a medal in the Asia Cup. The 27-year-old defeated World no.6 Hina Hayata of Japan in the women’s singles bronze medal match in Bangkok. With her historic win, she made it to the list of the top 40 players in the world, and she currently ranks 39 as per the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
Equal pay parity for women cricketers
In a landmark move this year, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took a significant step forward for women’s cricket and the game overall. In October, BCCI announced a new pay equity policy for its contracted women cricketers. Jay Shah, the Honorary Secretary of BCCI, stated that women cricketers will draw the same salary as men — Rs 15 lakhs for test matches, Rs 6 lakhs for ODI matches and Rs 3 lakhs for T20I.
Prior to this, in May, the Table Tennis Federation of India, offered equal prize money for men and women in all the national zonal tournaments – including national championships across age groups.
Geetanjali Shree, first Hindi author to win the International Booker Prize
Geetanjali Shree created history by becoming the first Hindi author to win the International Booker Prize for her novel 'Tomb of Sand'. The Booker Prize awardee and eminent novelist also made it to the BBC’S 100 Most Influential Women’s list this year.
India welcomes first president from the tribal community
Droupadi Murmu, who hails from the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha and belongs to the Santhal tribe, was elected as the country’s first tribal president in July. The 64-year-old took her oath as India’s 15th President, becoming the second woman to hold the constitutional head position.
SC rules in favour of women’s right to safe and legal abortion
In September, the Supreme Court of India ruled in favour of women’s right to safe and legal abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy irrespective of their marital status. Justice D Y Chandrachud of India’s Supreme Court said, “Even an unmarried woman can undergo abortion up to 24 weeks on par with married women.”
Photo: Instagram/Indian Cricket Team