People · Sport
Athletes of Gujarat
32 sportspeople from Gujarat in sports other than cricket. For cricket, see the separate list of Gujarat cricketers.
Chess
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Ankit Rajpara
Chess Grandmaster (India's 36th GM)
The chess Grandmaster from Gujarat was the second GM produced by the state.
Source: Wikipedia -
Ashwin Makwana
Para chess, Asian Para Games gold medallist
The visually impaired para chess player from Gujarat won team rapid gold at the 2022 Asian Para Games.
Source: Wikipedia -
Darpan Inani
Para chess, India's highest-rated visually impaired player
The blind chess player from Vadodara is India's highest-rated visually impaired player and took double gold at the 2023 Asian Para Games.
Source: Wikipedia -
Fenil Shah
Indian chess player (born 1995)
Fenil Shah (born 20 April 1995) is an Indian chess player, who holds the FIDE title of International Master (IM). He was the youngest rated chess player in 2002 and also the youngest chess player to represent Indian Team.
Source: Wikipedia -
Hetul Shah
Chess prodigy, once youngest to beat a Grandmaster
The Ahmedabad-based player became, at age nine, the youngest to beat a Grandmaster at standard time control in 2009.
Source: Wikipedia -
Tejas Bakre
Chess Grandmaster, first GM from Gujarat
Born in Ahmedabad, he became the first Grandmaster from Gujarat and India's 11th GM in 2004.
Source: Wikipedia
Badminton
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Ami Ghia
Badminton, 1978 Commonwealth Games doubles bronze and Arjuna awardee
The former badminton player from Gujarat was a seven-time national singles champion and an early Indian woman to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the sport.
Source: Wikipedia -
Anoushka Parikh
Indian badminton player (born 1997)
Anoushka Ashit Parikh (born 26 March 1997) is an Indian badminton player.
Source: Wikipedia -
Manasi Joshi
Para-badminton, former World Champion SL3
Born in Rajkot, she became a para-badminton World Champion and world No. 1 in women's singles SL3.
Source: Wikipedia -
Parul Parmar
Para-badminton, former world No. 1 SL3
The para-badminton player born in Gandhinagar was ranked world No. 1 in women's singles SL3.
Source: Wikipedia -
Tasnim Mir
Badminton, first Indian woman to reach BWF junior world No. 1
Born in Mehsana, she became the first Indian woman to top the world junior singles rankings in badminton.
Source: Wikipedia
Table tennis
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Bhavina Patel
Para table tennis, Tokyo 2020 Paralympic silver medallist
Born in Mehsana, she became the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic table tennis medal, taking silver in the Class 4 event at Tokyo 2020.
Source: Wikipedia -
Harmeet Desai
Table tennis, Commonwealth Games team gold
Born in Surat, he was the first athlete from Gujarat to break into the world top 100 in table tennis and won Commonwealth Games team gold in 2018.
Source: Wikipedia -
Sonalben Patel
Para table tennis, Commonwealth Games and Asian Para Games medallist
From Viramgam, the wheelchair Class 3 para paddler won bronze at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games and silver at the 2018 Asian Para Games.
Source: Wikipedia
Athletics
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Bhavanaben Ajabaji Chaudhary
Para athletics, Paris 2024 Paralympics javelin thrower
The para javelin thrower in the F46 category is from Banaskantha district and represented India at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Source: Wikipedia -
Murali Kumar Gavit
Athletics, 2019 Asian Championships 10,000m bronze
The long-distance runner was born in Kumarband village of Dang district and competes in the 5000m and 10,000m for India.
Source: Wikipedia -
Sarita Gayakwad
Athletics, 2018 Asian Games 4x400m relay gold
Born in Kharadi Amba village of Dang district, the sprinter became the first woman from Gujarat to win an Asian Games gold as part of the 4x400m relay team.
Source: Wikipedia
Swimming
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Anshul Kothari
Swimming, Commonwealth Games and three-time Asian Games swimmer
The competitive swimmer swam for Gujarat and ended a two-decade national gold drought for the state in the 50m freestyle in 2011.
Source: Wikipedia -
Maana Patel
Swimming, first Indian woman swimmer at the Olympics
Born in Ahmedabad, the backstroke swimmer became the first Indian female swimmer to qualify for the Olympics, competing at Tokyo 2020.
Source: Wikipedia -
Vandita Dhariyal
Indian butterfly stroke swimmer
Vandita Dhariyal is an Indian butterfly stroke swimmer.
Source: Wikipedia
Cue sports
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Geet Sethi
Indian billiards player
Geet Siriram Sethi (born 17 April 1961) of India is a professional player of English billiards who dominated the sport throughout much of the 1990s. He is also a notable amateur (ex-pro) snooker player.
Source: Wikipedia -
Rupesh Shah
Indian world champion billiards player
Rupesh Shah (born 5 August 1973) is an Indian player of English billiards. He was world professional champion (short format) in 2012.
Source: Wikipedia
Hockey
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Bansari Solanki
Field hockey, India women's national team goalkeeper
The field hockey goalkeeper for the Indian national team is from Surat and was scouted through the Sports Authority of Gujarat.
Source: Wikipedia -
Govind Sawant
Field hockey, 1960 Rome Olympics silver medallist
Born in Baroda, the field hockey player won team silver at the 1960 Rome Olympics and is long regarded as Gujarat's only Olympic medallist.
Source: Wikipedia
Shooting
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Elavenil Valarivan
Shooting, 10m air rifle World Cup gold and world No. 1
Raised in Ahmedabad and representing Gujarat, she won ISSF World Cup gold in the 10m air rifle and rose to world No. 1 in the discipline.
Source: Wikipedia -
Lajja Goswami
Shooting, two-time Commonwealth Games silver medallist
The rifle shooter from Jitodia village in Anand district won silver in the 50m rifle 3-position event at the 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Source: Wikipedia
Tennis
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Ankita Raina
Tennis, first female Olympian from Gujarat
Born in Ahmedabad, she became the first female Olympian from Gujarat and is one of only two Indian women to win a WTA Tour-level title.
Source: Wikipedia -
Zeel Desai
Indian tennis player
Zeel Desai (born 18 February 1999) is an Indian tennis player from Ahmedabad. Desai has a career-high singles ranking of 511 by the WTA, achieved on 12 February 2024.
Source: Wikipedia
Boxing
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Aspy Adajania
Boxing, pioneer of Indian amateur boxing
From a Parsi family of Adajan in Surat, he is remembered as a pioneering administrator of Indian amateur boxing.
Source: Wikipedia
Gymnastics
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Raj Bhavsar
Artistic gymnastics, 2008 Beijing Olympics team bronze
The Gujarati-American Olympic gymnast, whose father hails from Vadodara, won team bronze for the USA at Beijing 2008.
Source: Wikipedia
Other sports
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Supriya Jatav
Karate, three-time Commonwealth Karate Championship medallist
The Kumite karateka born in Dahod won medals across three consecutive Commonwealth Karate Championships.
Source: Wikipedia