🏅 Sprint, Soar, Shoot, and Shine: India’s Sports Stars of April 22

Thematic Focus

🏃 Track & Field | 🏑 Hockey | 🔫 Shooting | 🪢 Pole Vault | ♟ Chess

Intro

Some days, sports becomes a poem.
On April 22, 2025, five stories unfolded — a 100m gold won with a war cry, a daughter of a milkman rising in hockey, a silver pistol shot echoing from Peru, a pole vault record written against gravity, and queens battling queens on a chessboard in Pune.

Here are the heroes of the day, stitched together by grit and dreams.

Heroic Highlights

🏃‍♂️ Pranav Pramod Gurav — The Silent Sprinter Who Stole the Storm

• From Lane 2, he rose like a comet — clocking 10.27s to win the 100m gold at the Federation Cup, leaving top contenders in disbelief.
• This was his first national gold, a reward for years of near misses and relentless training.
• His tribute? A shout of ‘Jai Shivaji’ in honour of his cultural roots and his ailing grandfather in the ICU.
• “For him, I ran this race. And I didn’t give up,” he said with tears in his eyes.

🏑 Pooja Yadav — From Buffalo Shed to Blue Jersey

• Hailing from Gangapur village, Varanasi, 20-year-old Pooja earned a call-up to the Indian women’s hockey team.
• Her journey began with a pair of shoes bought through a barter of milk deliveries by her father.
• After failing initial trials, Pooja found strength in ‘Chak De! India’ reruns and the encouragement of her four sisters.
• Her coach now calls her a rising midfield commander with quick instincts and smart distribution.

🔫 Simranpreet Kaur Brar — The Shot That Shimmered in Peru

• At the ISSF World Cup in Lima, 20-year-old Simranpreet clinched a silver medal in 25m Pistol, competing against global greats including Manu Bhaker and three Chinese champions.
• Her parents sacrificed savings and careers, trusting a childhood dream.
• “I shoot only against myself,” she says — a mantra that saw her rise in the finals, shoot-off after shoot-off.

🪢 Dev Meena — The Sky Vaulted in Twilight

• Once a 400m hopeful, Dev switched to pole vault — and soared to break his own national record with 5.35m at the Federation Cup.
• Hailing from Khede village, Madhya Pradesh, the son of farmers now holds Under-18, U20, and Senior records.
• His only request: “Please allow my poles on flights.” The bar may be high, but bureaucracy still looms below.

♟ Humpy & Divya Deshmukh — Chess Queens Who Cornered a Dragon

• At the Women’s Grand Prix in Pune, veterans and prodigies joined forces.
• Koneru Humpy (38) and Divya Deshmukh (20) edged out China’s Zhu Jiner to give India the sole lead.
• The Indian pack, long in the making, is now clawing toward the global top ranks, suggesting a new wave of power in women’s chess.
• “Zhu blundered, but it was Humpy’s pressure that unraveled the old order.”

GS Paper Mapping

• GS Paper 2: Welfare – Support for rural athletes, sports education
• GS Paper 3: Achievements in Science & Technology – Biomechanics, sports psychology
• Essay Paper: Spirit of Sports – Where the individual becomes the anthem

A Thought Spark — by IAS Monk

“Even in silence, the body remembers how to rise.”

This is not a headline.
It’s five hearts — sprinting, shooting, vaulting, and thinking —
until the world looked their way.