From the glorious highs to the lowest lows, Indian sport has seen its share of drama this year. The jewels in the 2022 crown were a historic Thomas Cup and one of India's best ever Commonwealth Games outings but there was so much more. We attempt to capture, and herald, the best of the year.
Here are ESPN India's Awards (and Moments), 2022:
Female Athlete of the Year
"Who is Nikhat Zareen?" Boxer lets everyone know who she is in a golden year
At the end of 2022, looking back at the year Nikhat Zareen's has had - the three golds, fulfilling her dream of trending on Twitter and cementing her place in Indian boxing's history, she's done it all...Shyam Vasudevan
Male Athletes of the Year
Sat-Chi: Fire, ice and everything nice for Indian badminton
The year 2022 has been a game-changer for Indian badminton and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty has led this change with their evolution...Zenia D'Cunha
Coach of the Year
Magical Marquez: the coach who transformed Hyderabad from underdogs to champions
What's the hallmark of a good coach? To develop your players, empower them and bring out the spark in their game. And it's all the more commendable when your squad is filled with young players and no prima donnas. That's Manolo Marquez for you...Shyam Vasudevan
Match of the Year
Dramatic Thomas Cup semifinal against Denmark symbolizes Indian men's badminton's redemption arc
Why India's five-match semifinal against Denamrk, and not the historic 3-0 final win, is ESPN's Match of the Year. Specifically, the deciding fifth match between both team's lowest ranked players - HS Prannoy vs Rasmus Gemke...Zenia D'Cunha
Team of the Year
This awesome foursome brought home the most unlikely gold and changed our idea of a sport
Lovely Choubey, Pinki, Rupa Rani Tirkey, and Nayanmoni Saikia took a relatively unknown sport to the national headlines, changed our idea of it and fired up the imaginations of sports fans across the country... Anish Anand
Para-athlete of the Year
Bhavina Patel proves she belongs in the spotlight, fulfilling a dream of 12 years
If the Tokyo Olympics was about making her name into the spotlight of Indian sport, the Birmingham Commonwealth Games was all about how Bhavina Patel belongs there... Zenia D'Cunha
Emerging Athletes of the Year
Wonderkids Rudrankksh, Gayatri-Treesa and Jyothi light up Indian sports in 2022
It's perhaps the best part of sport - an unheralded name making a breakthrough and being catapulted into the spotlight. There's excitement at having to learn of a new athlete, attaching hope (often unfairly) to a career that's yet to be blighted, and as is wont in India, hype... Sunaadh Sagar
Quotes of the Year
Neeraj's golden quip, Chhetri's wisecrack and Nikhat's zinger
2022 was an unforgettable year for Indian sport. Typically, the year was littered with its fair share of highs and lows, but more importantly, it was a year of some very important firsts. We summarise 2022 with some of the best quotes from Indian sport this year... Aaditya Narayan
The Year in Numbers
Lawn Bowls' 150, Sharath's 13 and Sat-Chi's 1
The year 2022 has been an interesting one for Indian sport, coming straight after the Tokyo Olympics high in 2021, showing both India's immense potential and the road ahead. We takes a look at the telling and quirky numbers that tell the story of Indian sport in 2022... Zenia D'Cunha
MOMENTS OF THE YEAR
As a memorable 2022 draws to end, ESPN India picks ten images that tell the story of the most extraordinary Indian sports moments witnessed over the year.
Lakshya Sen defeats Anthony Ginting in the Thomas Cup final
Lakshya Sen had been hurting. It was the final of the Thomas Cup, a final India had reached for the first time ever. India had been brilliant, but Lakshya had suffered... Anirudh Menon
India's triple jumpers produce magical 1-2
You wouldn't remember Eldhose Paul's first attempt in the men's triple jump finals of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. It was a poor effort. What you'll remember, though, is the end of the final... Anish Anand
The agony behind the glory of Jeremy Lalrinnunga at CWG
That's pain you see in the frame there. You'd imagine it to be adrenaline -- lifting more than twice your bodyweight over your head would release quite the quantity of that -- but it isn't quite that... Anirudh Menon
Saurav Ghosal's tears lay bare a lifetime of emotions
Tears are a peculiar phenomenon. On the face of it, it's a simple physical response to emotion, but such is the complexity of human emotion that tears come forth at varied times... Sunaadh Sagar
Vafa Hakhamaneshi refuses to 'shut up and dribble'
#WOMEN #LIFE #FREEDOM. The message on Vafa Hakhamaneshi's shirt after his winner for Chennaiyin FC against East Bengal mattered for much more than the three points the goal brought his team on the night... Aaditya Narayan
Sharath Kamal, 40, and Sreeja Akula, 24, combine for mixed doubles gold
'I never found the right partner. I have now.' It took 24 years for Indian table tennis GOAT, Sharath Kamal, to find his right mixed doubles partner.... Sunaadh Sagar
Savita Punia's familiar story has an unfamiliar end, a medal
The image of her teammates running towards her in joy -- it told a story. A familiar story of Savita's tryst with the Indian team... Anish Anand
Avinash Sable breaks Kenya's 24-year dominance at Commonwealth Games
If you have a few minutes to spare, you must watch the replay of this extraordinary run from Avinash Sable. Sure, the result is known. But the race itself deserves multiple viewings just for the sheer audacity... Anish Anand
Kerala Blasters fans breathe life back into the ISL
Two seasons in Goan bio-bubbles. 220 ISL matches played behind closed doors. All that came to an end on March 20, and who better than the Kerala Blasters fans to be among the first ones back to back their team... Aaditya Narayan
Neeraj Chopra's silver a golden moment for Indian athletics
"Yeah, but this one isn't gold." Neeraj Chopra stood atop the podium, intently gazing at the silver medal dangling by his neck... Shyam Vasudevan