Since their maiden appearance in the Commonwealth Games of 1934, known as the British Empire Games back then till 1950, India have come a long way in the quadrennial competition. The country, after some less-than-inspiring shows in the initial stages, has finally emerged as one of the forces to reckon with in the Games over the last few years. So, today let’s observe how India have performed in the last three editions.
2010 (India / New Delhi)
India’s best showing in the Commonwealth Games came in their own backyard when the event was held for the first time in the country. They ended up second but only to Australia in the 2010 edition, winning a total of 101 medals, including 38 gold medals. This was the first time in the Game’s history that they won so many medals. The shooting happened to be the sport where India made a killing by grabbing 14 gold medals out of the total haul of 30 and the second best in terms of yellow metals came in wrestling, 10 out of a total of 21. All in all, it was a highly satisfying performance from the Indian contingent.
2014 (Scotland / Glasgow)
This time the level of performance was not as good as was the case in the home run, still, India managed to finish in the top 5. The overall tally was 64 this time with 15 gold, 30 silver and 19 bronze medals and the country ended up in the fifth position. In the edition, India led the opening ceremony due to them being the host previously. The Games turned memorable for India as a result of Parupalli Kashyap’s golden run in the Men’s Badminton segment, Vikas Gowda’s gold-winning performance in the Discuss Throw and Joshua Chinnappa and Dipika Pallikkal securing first-ever gold in squash. Even the Wrestlers, Shooters and Weightlifters also contributed to the country’s glories in the event.
2018 (Australia / Gold Coast)
India registered their second-best finish in Commonwealth history down under. They won a total of 66 medals; including 26 gold, 20 silver and 20 bronze; in their 17th appearance in the quadrennial event. In the Gold Coast, the current toast of the nation, Neeraj Chopra won the gold in Javelin as a 20-year-old and Saina Nehwal grabbed gold in Badminton Women’s singles category by defeating PV Sindhu in the final. Kidambi Srikant could also have laid his hand on the yellow metal, but Lee Chong Wei proved to be too big an opponent in the final, so the former had to settle for the silver eventually. These apart, Boxers Mary Kom won gold in the Women’s 48 kg category and Vikas Solanki and Vikas Krishnan also got gold in the men’s segment. This was another momentous occasion for India at the Games.
And Finally This Year…
It’s too premature for any prediction or forecast but nothing short of an incredible outing by our sports personalities would satisfy the Indian sports lovers this time. After their best-ever performance in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, it is widely expected of our athletes to put their best feet forward in the Birmingham event. Even without Neeraj Chopra, it won’t be a big surprise if India better their 2010 accomplishments by emerging as the numero uno team in the 2022 Commonwealth Games. This confidence stems from the wide pool of talent at India’s disposal.
