Indian athletes have continued to push the envelope through the first decade of ESPN India: from reaching unprecedented heights on the biggest stages in the world to standing up for themselves and those who can't, India's athletes have made her proud.
Here, we take a look back at ten athletes who defined this edition's first decade of existence:
Neeraj Chopra
Even as early as 2017, ESPN had crowned a 19-year-old Neeraj Chopra a 'once-in-a-generation' athlete. The decade that's followed has simply underlined why. The medals are unheard of for an Indian athlete -- Olympic gold and silver, World Championship gold and silver, the Diamond League title, Asian Games gold (twice) and a Commonwealth Games gold. Prior to the 2025 Worlds, Neeraj had a streak of 2566 days of finishing in the podium places in every event he competed in.
And yet, while these medals inspired a generation and brought greater awareness to the sport, perhaps Neeraj's greatest achievement is how he's used his stature for the greater good. Neeraj Chopra the athlete deserves to be in this list, but Neeraj Chopra the person tops it.
Neeraj Chopra is one of us, but he's also the best of us
PV Sindhu
Two Olympic medals, five World Championship medals, the first and only Indian badminton world champion, the first Indian woman to win an Olympic silver, and then to medal at consecutive Games. PV Sindhu's list of achievements at the two biggest competitions in the world for badminton speak for themselves. Her Worlds gold in 2019, after two straight, heartbreaking, final losses, speaks of her resilience and growth. If her 2016 Olympic silver was about her potential, then her bronze in 2021 tells of her consistency and big-match ability.
No other athlete has established India's dominance in world badminton in the last decade as Sindhu has since she won her first Worlds medal in 2013 as a teenager. She is still doing her best now, in her 30s.
Sindhu's real legacy: Break the shackles, take control, become a champion in your own right
Manu Bhaker
Manu Bhaker's career trajectory since 2018 can be seen as a microcosm of Indian sports: teenage prodigy, immense success, public failures under pressure, mental turmoil and resilience, and then success like no athlete before her. The first Indian to win two medals in a single Olympic Games. The first Indian woman shooter to win an Olympic medal. The youngest Indian to win a World Cup gold at 16. And a bunch of medals across the Commonwealth and Asian Games.
And she is only 24 years old! Already an Indian sporting great after her 2024 Olympics heroics where she won two bronze medals, Manu is growing into a legend and doing it with all the limelight on her since she was 16.
9 days in the life of Manu Bhaker: Training, qualification, final, repeat three times
PR Sreejesh
Two Olympic medals. Multiple trophies with the Indian national hockey team. And countless saves as a goalkeeper. Over the last decade, Parattu Raveendran Sreejesh played a starring role in turning Indian hockey's fortunes. Coming from Kerala, a state rich in sporting culture but not much in hockey, he became not only the best in the country, but also the best in the world.
As a goalkeeper, he did everything he could to help his team, but what truly made him exceptional was how he elevated his game in big matches. Pressure? That's when Sreejesh was at his best.
Fearless, confident, focused: How PR Sreejesh became one of Indian hockey's greatest 'keepers
Mirabai Chanu
Watching Mirabai Chanu lift a barbell is an extraordinary sight. Only 49kg and 4'11 in height, Mirabai won medals and made records lifting twice her body weight. Each lift said it all. The strength, the pain, the composure and then the booming smile. She has been doing it for a decade and won an Olympics silver medal, three World Championships medals and three Commonwealth Games medals.
Her body broke down multiple times, she suffered numerous injuries but in between all, she achieved greatness while never losing the smile.
Vinesh Phogat
The medals automatically make her great -- two World Championship bronzes, three Commonwealth golds, Asian Games gold and bronze -- but over the past decade, Vinesh Phogat has shown there's more to being a great sportsperson than medals around the neck. Her standing up to the powers-that-be at the peak of her sporting prowess exemplified the Olympian spirit in a way few Indian sportspersons have, as did her return to the mat (even if it did end in Olympic heartbreak)... and that's what makes her a legend.
Vinesh Phogat has a bigger fight, if she wants it: saving Indian wrestling
Avani Lekhara
The first Indian woman to win Paralympic Games gold and then do it all over again in the next edition, the first Indian to win multiple medals at a single Paralympics, Paralympics and World Record holder: Avani Lekhara's CV is unlike any other. A paraplegic since age 11, Avani read Abhinav Bindra's autobiography, was inspired to take up shooting as a hobby, and now sits alongside Bindra in Indian sport's Hall of Fame. That's exactly the kind of thing that makes you a shoo-in for a best-of-decade list.
Para Athlete of the Year, Female: Avani Lekhara's unprecedented gold defence seals her legend
Harmanpreet Singh
The facts are really simple here -- India's bronze medal in hockey at the Paris Olympics wouldn't happen without Harmanpreet Singh. While he was part of a better-oiled machine that won the medal in Tokyo, Harmanpreet dragged India by the scruff of the neck and took them to a medal in Paris, including with a brace in the bronze medal match. He was also India's top-scorer in Paris, he has been top-scorer in numerous Pro League seasons and the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou as well. Few have contributed to this successful era of Indian hockey as its leader Harmanpreet has.
Paris Olympics 2024: Want control? Call Harmanpreet (and get goals thrown in)
Gukesh Dommaraju
The narrative of the last decade in Indian chess has been about the emergence of the precociously talented group of young kids. That narrative had its ultimate validation in December 2024, when at 18, Gukesh Dommaraju was crowned the champion of the world.
Being world champion is obviously the pinnacle, and that alone would've brought Gukesh a place in this top ten, but he's also been an integral part of two medal-winning Olympiad teams from India, including the one that won gold in Budapest in 2024. The prince who went on to be king isn't close to done yet, so if these pages do a similar ranking again ten years later, don't be surprised to see Gukesh's name there.
A new king crowned: Stunned silence, then chaos and tears as Gukesh wins world title
Sumit Antil
You might want to whisper this, but Sumit Antil has a legitimate case of being India's GOAT. Two Paralympic gold medals, a three-time world champion, an Asian Para Games gold, and a world record that he keeps breaking like clockwork. Right from 2019 when he announced himself with a world record throw, Antil has simply dominated every event he's taken part in.
This is dominance unlike any other -- Antil has nothing left to achieve but his own personal contest. Him, his javelin and his target distance -- nothing comes in between.