Five Indian individual athletes who became No. 1 in their sport

These athletes have made the country proud in their respective sports.

India has always produced athletes of the highest quality from time to time. The country's rich sporting legacy also stands as a testament to the same. Even though India looks like a cricket-dominated nation, Indian athletes' performance in various sports shows how the country is adept at producing outstanding athletes for various sports

In this article, we will be taking a look at five Indian athletes who went on to be ranked numero uno in their respective sports at some point in their careers. This list includes some of the biggest names in the Indian sporting arena, let's take a look:

MC Mary Kom

The queen in the boxing ring, MC Mary Kom is undoubtedly one of the finest boxers to have graced the game. She rose to the top of the rankings in January 2019, two months after becoming the first female boxer to win six World Championships. The then 36-year-old was ranked number one by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) in the light fly 45-48 kg category, scoring 1700 points.

Mary Kom became one of India's hugely respected and admired Indian athletes. Someone who has not only won many laurels for the country but also inspired the younger Indian girls to take up the sport of boxing. She won the silver medal in the 2001 World Championship to kickstart her international career.

She then went on to win gold in each of the next five editions of the World Championship. Mary Kom won the bronze medal in the 2012 Olympics and also secured gold in the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Saina Nehwal

Second, on our list is the seasoned shuttler Saina Nehwal who attained the number one ranking in 2015. Saina was the poster girl of Indian badminton when she burst onto the International stage in 2008-2009. She even went on to reach the second rank in 2009. Nehwal reached the top spot in 2015 when she secured a silver in the World Championship.

The then No.1 Carolina Marin failed to make it past the semis of the event. Back when she reached the top spot, she became only the second Indian after Prakash Padukone to hold the top spot in the international badminton rankings.

Nehwal has achieved several milestones in badminton for India. She is the only Indian athlete to have won at least one medal in every BWF major individual event, the BWF World Championships, and the BWF World Junior Championships. She is the first Indian badminton player to have won an Olympic medal, the first Indian to have reached the final of the BWF World Championships, along with being the only Indian to have won the BWF World Junior Championships. 

Nehwal also became the first Indian to win two singles gold medals (2010 and 2018) in Commonwealth Games. Nehwal also won the gold medal in the 2018 CWG in the mixed team category. She is credited with the increasing popularity of badminton in India post-2010 and was also awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2016.

Vishwanathan Anand

Vishwanathan Anand is unarguably the best chess player ever to have played for India. Anand became the first grandmaster from India in 1988 and is one of the few players to surpass an Elo rating of 2800, a feat he first achieved in 2006. He is currently serving as the vice-president of FIDE (International Chess Federation), a position he was elected to in 2022.

Anand earned the nickname of "the lightning kid" during the early days of his career in the 1980s. Many considered him to be one of the greatest ever rapid chess players ever. Anand, became India's first ever grandmaster achieved his first No.1 ranking in 2007. He went on to hold the spot for 21 months, which is the sixth highest period on record.

He won the FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship in 2003 and 2017, the World Blitz Cup in 2000 and numerous other top-level rapid and blitz events. Anand was the first recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1991–92, India's highest sporting honour.

In 2007, he was awarded India's second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, making him the first sportsperson to receive the award. He still remains a big inspiration for all the aspiring chess players not only in India but also worldwide. Such has been the excellence displayed by him in his career over the years.

Heena Sidhu

Heena Sidhu is one of the most successful Indian shooters who has achieved various laurels throughout her career. She achieved the feat of attaining the no.1 rank on 7 April 2014. She became the first Indian pistol shooter to reach number one in world rankings by the International Shooting Federation. In 2013, Sidhu became the first Indian pistol shooter to win a gold medal in an ISSF World Cup finals.

She won the 10-metre air pistol event in 2013. In 2014, Sidhu was the World record holder in the 10-metre air pistol event with a final score of 203.8. Sidhu has won two gold and a silver medal at the Commonwealth games. She is also a two-time gold medalist at the World Cup. She also won the gold medal in the 2017 Commonwealth Championship in Brisbane.

The shooter, who has been one of the most consistent performers for India in shooting, was conferred with the prestigious Arjuna Award in 2014

Deepika Kumari

The current no.1 ranked archer in the world, 28-year-old Deepika Kumari was supposed to be one of India's biggest hopes for a medal at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games 2022, Birmingham. But the sport of archery was shelved from this edition of the quadrennial event. Kumari claimed the No.1 ranking after winning the gold in the women's individual at the World Cup 2021 in Guatemala City. She is also a two-time gold medalist in the Commonwealth Games (2010 women's recurve individual and 2010 women's recurve team).

Kumari was conferred the Arjuna Award, India's second highest sporting award, in the year 2012. She was also honoured with the FICCI Sportsperson of the Year Award in February 2014 and the Padma Shri Award in 2016.