CWG 2022: Here are 15 facts involving India at the Games to date

The 2022 Commonwealth Games (CWG) is less than a week away. The Indian contingent will be fighting in Birmingham for 11 days to prove that it is indeed a sporting prowess among the Commonwealth nations. About 115 athletes (108 men and 107 women) would compete across 15 sporting genres at the event. Although India would not be participating in sports like 3x3 basketball, beach volleyball, netball and rugby sevens, it still has a realistic chance of coming up with medal-winning performances in competing sports. India has been a force in the CWG. Thus, we present the 15 facts regarding the contingent in the tournament to date.

1. Wrestler Rashid Anwar was India's first CWG medallist during the 1934 edition in London. It also happened to be India's maiden entry at the Games.

2. During the 1934 CWG, only six Indian athletes participated.

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3. The six-member Indian contingent at the 1934 Commonwealth Games only participated in athletics and wrestling disciplines.

4. India waited until 1958 for its first gold medal at the CWG when the legendary sprinter Milkha Singh bagged the yellow metal in Cardiff.

5. Ami Ghia and Kanwal Thakar Singh became the first Indian women pair to win a CWG medal, grabbing the bronze medal at the 1978 edition in Edmonton, Canada.

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6. Discus thrower Krishna Poonia settled for India's second gold medal in athletics during the 2010 Delhi CWG, 52 years after Milkha's historic feat.

7. Shooter Roopa Unnikrishnan etched her name in history books by becoming the first Indian woman to claim a CWG gold in the women's 50m rifle prone event at the 1998 edition in Kuala Lumpur.

8. India has bagged 503 medals in its CWG history.

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9. India went medal-less at the CWG only on a couple of occasions - 1938 (Sydney) and 1954 (Vancouver).

10. Delhi beat Edmonton 46-22 to land the hosting rights for the 2010 CWG edition.

11. Praveen Kumar Sobti won a medal for India during the 1966 CWG in Kingston, Jamaica, grabbing the silver in the men's hammer throw.

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12. India has never finished outside the top five of the medal tally since the 2002 CWG in Manchester.

13. Discus thrower Ranjith Kumar became India's first para-athlete to win a CWG medal, clinching the bronze in 2006 in Melbourne.

14. The most successful Indian athlete at the CWG to date is shooter Jaspal Rana, winning 15 medals.

15. A strong 322-member Indian contingent will participate in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. The nation's most significant contingent was during the 2010 Delhi CWG, when a total of 495 athletes participated.

• commonwealth games
• commonwealth games 2022
• india
• sports