In a country where cricket often monopolizes the sports headlines, and other mainstream games, be it badminton or hockey, get the odd headline, there is a silent revolution brewing. Across the length and breadth of the country, unsung heroes are stretching the boundaries of possibility and scripting amazing success stories in not-so-mainstream sports. These hidden treasures are not only winning medals, they are defying stereotypes, battling systemic neglect and establishing a global space for India in the most unlikely of arenas. Their stories speak to persistence, enthusiasm, and the overlooked athletic talent that waits to be discovered outside of the mainstream.
The story of Indian sport has been allowed to be one-dimensional for too long. The prioritisation of a few disciplines has unintentionally diluted emerging talents in niche, indigenous, or under-funded global sports. But change is coming. Fueled by knowledge, personal investment, and the simple prerequisite of wanting to be good, Indian athletes in everything from fencing to roller skating are demonstrating that achievement doesn’t belong only to The Popular.
An individual’s sheer determination is behind a lot of the exciting movement. The trailblazing fencer C.A. Bhavani Devi. Coming from Tamil Nadu, she became the first Indian fencer to make it to the Olympic Games. A sport requiring razor-sharp reflexes and precision, fencing was all but unknown in India 10 years ago. Bhavani Devi’s path, marked by financial hardship and inadequate world-class infrastructure, perfectly embodies the ‘dark horse’ storyline. Her consistent success at the international level, including medal at the Commonwealth and Asian Championships, has brought the sport into the global limelight and inspired a new generation to take up the Sabre.
Yet another monumental breakthrough came from the unexpected world of Roller Skating. Anandkumar Velkumar from Tamil Nadu made history by grabbing India’s first ever bronze medal in roller skating at the World Games in a game largely linked with recreation in the country. In what was more than just a victory to Velkumar, who competed in the Inline Speed Skating Track – Men’s Sprint 1000m, his third place finish is a win for all non-Olympic disciplines in India. earlier feat of becoming the first Indian to medal at the Speed Skating World Championships in 2021 as well showcases consistent performance on an international scale against global veterans, establishing that with focused training and recognition from the government, even the most unknown sports can rake in champions.
The spirit of adventure is the mainstay of Equestrian success. With a sport that requires not just athletic ability but a lot of financial investment and a good understanding between the rider and the horse, Indian achievements are that much more praiseworthy. Fouaad Mirza has been a game changer, ending a drought of several decades for India in Olympics in the sport of Eventing. His double silver medal accolades at the 2018 Asian Games helped bring equestrian back into limelight, thus proving that India could hold its own in a technical, high-invest international discipline.
The water-based sports that are often ignored are also producing stars. Nethra Kumanan, the first Indian woman sailor, bagged a World Cup medal, winning bronze in the Laser Radial Class. Sailing, which requires knowledge of wind and water currents as well as engineering to understand the rigging, seldom receives the coverage it deserves. Kumanan’s trailblazing medal gives hope to India’s coastal areas, proving that the country’s long coastline can indeed be a fodder for water athletes who can compete on the world stage. Also hopeful is the advancement of the Indian Surf Team, which just competed internationally for the first time this year, including trailblazers like Ishita Malaviya the first Indian woman professional surfer who continues to inspire the new generation of women surfers.
Even the traditional, native sport of Kabaddi has undergone a revitalisation, emerging as a regional novelty to a sporting and commercial powerhouse. Although it’s becoming more popular in the mainstream, at the time its pro players were still considered part of the “hidden gem” tier, fighting for recognition. The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) has transformed the sport, making players such as Anup Kumar household names, and taking the jaw-dropping athleticism of an India-born game to viewers across the globe. This story of success is a case model for how smart branding and investment can elevate a traditional sport into a modern spectacle, beautifully proving the thesis that native talent is universally appealing once it is packaged in the right way.
What makes the stories of these athletes so captivating is just how tough they have to be. In contrast to their cricket brethren, they usually practise with little money, antiquated gear and scant media coverage. Their international journeys are often self-funded or cobbled together with grassroots support and personal sacrifices. They are battling not only opponents, but a domestic sports ecosystem that still somehow dismisses the hard work needed to popularise non-mainstream games.
The achievement of these buried treasures holds meaning beyond the sum of their medals for themselves. They epitomise a radical transformation in India’s sporting landscape a broadening aspirational spectrum in which ‘go to the Olympics’ is no longer the boundary of ambition. Every historic qualification and bronze many medals represent the ray of hope shedding light towards a new road that can be a basis of inspiration for most aspirational youngsters.
Like India becoming a sporting great, it has to feed off this variety. The ecosystem around including coaches and other support members needs to stop being a series of stopgap measures and instead institutionalise long-term funding, world-class coaching, and infrastructure that is accessible for sports that don’t get as much love. Media houses must allocate more time and space to telling their inspirational stories. And when we cheer the success of a fencer, a sailor or a speed skater with the same enthusiasm we reserve for a cricketer, we will know that the Indian sporting dream is big and diverse and waiting to be fulfilled.
These unsung heroes are the future of Indian sports. They are a strong testament that the greatest treasures are sometimes to be found on the path less travelled, helping the nation carve a truly inclusive and world competitive sporting legacy. The world order in which these people were supposed to luck around in the shadows is crumbling, and a few eye opening ones from the lot are now coming into the light.
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