14 of 2014: It wasn’t just cricket

Prakash Nanjappa, Shooting, 38, Karnataka

Silver 10m  Air Pistol (Commonwealth Games, Glasgow)

A Jack of many trades but the master of one, Prakash Nanjappa started his career as a shuttler, then moved to bike rallying when injuries threw him off gear. But eventually it was the gun which did the talking. Later, unhappy with the economics involved in the sport, he took up a job in Canada for five years. But the trigger pulled him back, and this year, he impressed in Glasgow when he bagged the silver in 10m air pistol. Along with Jitu Rai, he was instrumental in the team’s bronze in 10m air pistol at the Asiad too.

Babita Kumari, Wrestling, 24, Haryana

Gold 55kg (CWG, Glasgow)

Against her physician’s advice, Babita Kumari with her injured ligament, decided to have a go at Glasgow. Further damage could have ended her career, but Babita was determined to achieve what she missed in the 2010 Games, where she won silver. Brittanee Laverdure even injured the 24-year-old’s finger during a bout. But it was the Haryana girl who triumphed, finally.

P.V. Sindhu, 19, Badminton, Telangana

Bronze (World Championships) Bronze (CWG, Glasgow)

Badminton’s latest star P.V. Sindhu’s career has been on the upswing since 2011, when she won gold at the CWG. She has since towered over most of her on-court rivals. She followed her 2013 Worlds bronze with a one-two punch in 2014, winning a bronze medal each at the Commonwealth Games and the World Championships, in Copenhagen. Her long reach also helped the women’s team claim bronze at the Asian Games in Incheon.

Alisha Abdullah,Motorsports, 25, Tamil Nadu

Finished 6th out of 26 at the Toyota Vios Cup

The first Indian woman racer to compete internationally in open racing school, she is Indian motorsports' pin-up girl. Her life in the fast lane has been hard. Being the only woman on track, she has had to tolerate taunts from her male rivals. But the spunky racer knew just how to hit back. In 2014, she gunned the pedal and refused to let up all the way to Toyota Vios Cup  a street race approved by FIA  and finished sixth out of 26 racers, a field dominated by men.

Jitu Rai,Shooting, 27

5 medals: Gold 10m air pistol and two silvers, 10m air pistol and 50m pistol (ISSF World Cup, Maribor & Munich), gold 50m pistol (Commonwealth Games, Glasgow), gold 50m pistol (Asian Games, Incheon) Jitu Rai spent his childhood farming and milking cows and picking up a rifle was a distant dream. But once he did, he came out firing on all cylinders! Rai's tryst with rifles began after he joined the Indian Army in 2006. He kept sharpening his aim as a naik-subedar before finding fame, in droves, this year.

Saurav Ghosal, Squash, 28, West Bengal

Silver (Asian Games, Incheon)

Squash was not a sport that moved mountains in India, when he started  his career. But his go-getter attitude turned the tide. Saurav Ghosal  a former junior World No.1  has trained under professionals like Cyrus Poncha and Malcolm Willstrop (in England). In 2006, he won a bronze at the Asian Games, Doha, and won the Arjuna award in 2007. Although Ghosal lost out on a gold in the final at Incheon, he is till date the only Indian to reach that peak.

Lakshya Sen, Badminton,13, Almora (Uttarakhand)

Wimbledon Racquet and Fitness Club, Under 19 title

The 13-year-old prodigy is a monster with the badminton racquet, a go-getter who lives up to his name. In 2010, legendary shuttler Prakash Padukone was so impressed with Lakshya’s showing in the U-13 championships that he took him under his wing at his academy. In 2014, Lakshya won the U-19 badminton tournament at the Wimbledon Racquet and Fitness Club. His contenders hailed from Portugal, Turkey, England, Scotland, Switzerland as well as India. This was Lakshya’s eighth international title (all in 13 years). Currently, he is perfecting his jump smashes for the 2020 Olympics. The lad is taken care of by Olympic Gold Quest  a non-profit organisation supporting Olympians.

Joshna Chinappa, Squash, 28, Tamil Nadu

World Title (Winnipeg Open), Gold in doubles (CWG, Glasgow)

When she is not on court, Joshna Chinappa is on the run, keeping fit, on the Marina beach in Chennai. Given her passion for sport, she could easily be dubbed the ‘Josh Machine’. The 28-year-old won her maiden WSA World Tour Title in February this year and followed it up with a doubles gold at the Commonwealth Games, pairing with squash’s poster girl Dipika Pallikal.

Aditya Mehta, Snooker, 28,Maharashtra
Break of 147 Arcaden Paul Hunter Classic, Germany)

The Mumbai master created history of sorts when he cracked a perfect break of 147 in snooker. That's like a bowler clean-bowling all 10 batsmen in a side off 10 consecutive deliveries. Aditya is the only Indian to have accomplished this twice. While over the moon after his record, he was modest enough to state that India has a long way to go in snooker. With age on his side, he can do his bit to inspire budding cueists.

Indian men’s hockey team

gold (Asian Games, Incheon)

Putting behind them a rather mixed year, the Indian men's hockey team emerged victorious. The Sardar Singh-led unit defeated arch-rivals Pakistan in the final to win gold and seal their berth at the Rio Olympics 2016. It was a case of 'Once bitten, twice shy' for the Indians, who had lost to Pakistan in the group stage.

They kept their wits about them, and displayed tremendous grit to make the final. While men's team hockey coach Terry Walsh had his share of spats with Indian hockey's governing body, the team on the field did not let that rock the boat. The relatively young Indian team were lean, mean and hungry. They had their opponents for lunch.

Rahi Sarnobat, shooting, 23, Maharashtra

Bronze (Asian Games, Incheon), gold (CWG, Glasgow)

The 23-year-old is among the best sharpshooters in business. The latest medal in her kitty is an Asiad bronze. But she had fired her first salvo at fame with a gold at Glasgow in the 25m pistol event. She also won gold at the ISSF World Cup (2011)  the only Indian to have achieved that feat. With joker Rahi up the sleeve at 2016 Olympics, India is set for the last laugh at Rio.

Sarita Devi, Boxing, 29, Manipur

Bronze (Asian Games, Incheon)

The Arjuna awardee is from Mary Kom’s Manipur. While her ‘cries for injustice’ grabbed the world’s attention, they did not go well with her illustrious compatriot. That controversy apart, Sarita Devi belatedly brought home a bronze. The Manipuri boxer, though short on cash, has plenty of guts. Feeling undone by the judges in the semifinals, she refused to accept her medal at the presentation ceremony, in the presence of opponents, administrators and fans.

Saketh Myneni, Tennis, 27, Andhra Pradesh

Silver in men’s doubles, gold in mixed doubles (Asian Games, Incheon)

The gold and silver medals at Asiad highlight his blossoming romance with the sport. The tall Vizag-born Myneni was one of India's wild cards at Incheon. To make a name for himself in a tournament which also had Sania Mirza was never going to be easy. But his booming strokes propelled him onto the elite circuit, where he would remain for the years to come.

Indian men’s archery team

Archery Gold (Asian Games, Incheon)

You've got to bow to these men with arrows. The trio of Abhishek Verma, Sandeep Kumar and Rajat Chauhan became a triumvirate when they created history by becoming the first ever Indian team to record this achievement. Verma, Chauhan and Kumar eked out a narrow 227-225 victory over hosts South Korea. Verma also struck silver in the men's individual event.