Priya Ghanghas, boxing.The 20-year-old boxer from Haryana took up the sport at 11 and punched her way up. At the Commonwealth Games in August, she won Gold in the women’s 60kg category. Before that, she’d defeated China’s Chengyu Yang, who was No 2 seed, at the Asian Boxing Championships 2026. In interviews, she’s said she learnt how to rein in her aggression and unleash it at the right moment. Iconic behaviour.
Tanvi Sharma, badminton. Sharma, 17, became the third-youngest player to win a BWF Super 300 World Tour Title in August, at the Taipei Open. It was a win for India after 18 years; the last Indian who did it was Saina Nehwal, in 2008. Sharma, who’s from Punjab, has caught the world’s attention with her powerful smashes and deceptive strokes, a technique she learned from her coach Park Tae-Sang, who has worked with PV Sindhu. And Sindhu herself praised Sharma for “having the courage to take on the best”. High praise.
Asmita Dey, judo. At 23, the former sprinter became the first Indian judoka to win Gold at the Commonwealth Games in August. It wasn’t easy. She had a debilitating knee injury, and her father passed away last year. But Dey channelled the grief into her training. Judo still hasn’t found widespread support in India. Other than Tababi Thangjam’s silver at the Summer Youth Olympics 2018, India has never produced global judo champions. So, Dey will have to fight her way to the top.
Sujeet Kalkal, wrestling. The 23-year-old is World No1 in the males 65kg category, and is already being compared to Yogeshwar Dutt and Bajrang Punia. He started the year by clinching gold at the Zagreb Open in Croatia in February, and recently won 15-4 at the Khadartsev Brothers’ Cup last month. Now he’s added an Asian Games Gold to his haul, India’s first since 2018. He wrestles in the tough freestyle category, known for high-intensity attacks and aggressive players. Coach Kuldeep Singh has praised his “immobilising” double-arm lock, that renders his opponents helpless.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, cricket. Sooryavanshi, at 15, has been breaking records as if he’s collecting Pokemon. He’s the youngest player to score a T20 century; the fastest to score 1,000 IPL runs; and the youngest to land an IPL contract. The left-handed Bihar-born cricketer wields the bat at speeds only seen in more experienced players. His first coach, noticed that even at age nine, he played like a grown-up. Even Sachin Tendulkar praised his wrist work and called him “truly special”.
Kumkum Mohod, recurve archery. Mohod, 17, knew she was up against tough competition at the Asian Games. She faced off against Kang Chae-young, aka The Destroyer; and Chinese archer Zhu Jingyi, who was World No 3. South Koreans dominate the field and have been picking up medals since 1998. Our Mohod won Gold in both the team and individual recurve category, opening up a place for India at the 2028 Olympics. Her method? Just visualising the arrow landing in the centre of the target.
Neil Samraj, sprint. The Tamil Nadu sprinter clocked a 10.53-second run in the semifinals of the National Youth Athletics Championships in Ludhiana last month, breaking India’s U-18 national record of 10.63 seconds. Then, he broke his own record, scoring a 10.46-second run in the finals. And yet, the 18-year-old, who’s a perfectionist, felt he could’ve done better. He wants to bring his personal best up to 10.30 seconds. We’re already breathless thinking about it.
Anahat Singh, squash. Singh, World No 17, features in the World Book of Records for her squash accomplishments. At the World Junior Squash Championships 2026, Singh ended Egypt’s 15-year reign in the event, winning Gold and becoming the first Indian to bag the girl’s singles title. Senior players and coaches have praised the 18-year-old for hitting sharply and crisply from the front of the court, keeping her opponents on edge.
Pritam Kendre, shooting. Kendre was 11 when he watched javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra win Olympic gold at Tokyo 2021. He decided that he, too, wanted to be iconic. In May, at the 2026 ISSF World Junior Championships in Suhl, Germany, the now 16-year-old Kendre won the men’s 10m air rifle title. He also finished fifth in the qualification round with a score of 628.2, and worked his way up the score chart to finish with 251.3, 0.4 points above Russia’s better known Timofei Aleinikov. His coaches observed that he was determined to win, and didn’t let the pressure get to him.
Pooja Singh, high jump. When Singh, 19, jumped 1.93m at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in May, she broke into a joyful yell after she landed on the mat, then threw herself to the floor and burst into tears. It was deliberate — she told news outlets it was because she wanted to remember the time she trained without mats and had to land on the floor. Her jump bettered the 1.92 m mark set in 2012. Now, she’s won bronze in the Asian Games. We’re also jumping for joy.
From HT Brunch, October 10, 2026
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