The 1951 Asian Games, officially known as the First Asian Games, was a multi-sport event celebrated in New Delhi, India from 4 to 11 March 1951. The Games received names like First Asiad and 1951 Asiad. A total of 489 athletes representing 11 Asian National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in 57 events from eight sports and discipline. The Games was the successor of the Far Eastern Games and the revival of the Western Asiatic Games. The 1951 Asiad were originally scheduled to be held in 1950, but postponed until 1951 due to delays in preparations. On 13 February 1949, the Asian Games Federation was formally established in Delhi, with Delhi unanimously announced as the first host city of the Asian Games.
Geeta Zutshi is a former Indian track and field athlete. She established several national and Asian running records in the 800 metres and 1500 metres events.
Shiny Kurisingal Wilson is a retired Indian athlete. She has been a National Champion in 800 metres for 14 years. Shiny Abraham Wilson represented India more than 75 times in international competition. She holds the added distinction of representing Asia in four World Cups. She is also perhaps the only athlete to have taken part in six Asian Track & Field Meets in a row beginning 1985 in Jakarta. During this period she won seven gold, five silver and two bronze medals in the Asian competitions. She collected a total of 18 gold and two silver medals from the seven South Asian Federation (SAF) Meets she has competed.
Harbinder Singh is a former field hockey player from India. He started his international career in 1961 at the age of 18 years [youngest member of the team] with a tour to New Zealand and Australia with Indian hockey team. During the span of 12 years from 1961 to 1972 had represented the country in three Olympics – Tokyo 1964 — gold medal [scored highest field goals – 5 out of 9 goals], Mexico 1968 — bronze medal [scored highest field goals – 6 out of 11, including hat-trick against Mexico] and was also selected as a centre forward in the "World XI", in Munich 1972 — bronze medal.
Neelam Jaswant Singh is an Indian discus thrower.
Manathoor Devasia Valsamma is a retired Indian athlete. She was the second Indian woman to win an individual gold medal at the Asian Games and the first to win it on Indian soil.
Suresh Babu was an Indian long jumper from Kerala who had held the national titles in the long, triple, and high jump events, in addition to the decathlon. Suresh Babu dominated the scene between 1972 and 1979, winning national titles in the jumps and decathlon and at the same time picking his event for laurels on the international arena. He was one of the athletes to win medals in two events in successive Asian Games, the bronze in the decathlon in the Tehran Asian Games in 1974 and a gold in the long jump in the Bangkok Asian Games, 1978.
Preeja Sreedharan is an Indian long-distance runner. She holds the national records in both the 10,000 metres and 5000 metres disciplines, which she set en route to the gold and silver medals at 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. Sreedharan was conferred with the Arjuna Award, India's second highest sporting honour by the central government in 2011.
Anil Kumar is a well renowned Indian male discus thrower with his personal best throw of 64.37 metres attained in July, 2004 in Szombathely, Hungary. He received Arjuna Award in 2004 for his performances at Asia level. He is also bestowed with the Bhim Award by State Government of Haryana. He led the Indian athletics contingent for Asian Athletics Grand Prix Series held at Colombo, Bangkok and Manila in June 2003.
Mercy Kuttan is a former Indian track and field athlete. She was the first Indian woman long jumper to cross six meters. In 1989, Mercy received Arjuna Award for her contribution to the Indian athletics. She is currently the President of the Kerala State Sports Council.
Kamaljeet Sandhu is a female Indian athlete who won gold medal at 1970 Bangkok Asian Games in 400 m race. She ran the distance in 57.3 seconds. She is the first Indian woman athlete to win an individual gold medal at Asian games. She is from Punjab state in India. She received Padma Shri award in 1971. In 1971, she was one of the finalists in the World University Games held at Turin, Italy, in 400 metres race. She participated in the Women's 400 metres at the 1972 Munich Olympics, bowing out in the heats. Kamaljeet retired from athletics in 1973. She was also a national-level basketball and inter-varsity hockey player. She went to the 1982 Asian Games as the coach of the Indian women's sprint team. She is also an alumna of Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya.
Jaisha Orchatteri Puthiya Veetil, commonly known as O. P. Jaisha, is an Indian track and field athlete from Kerala. She is the current national record holder in the marathon, a distinction she achieved by clocking 2:34:43 at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing. In the process she bettered her own mark of 2:37:29, set at the 2015 Mumbai Marathon. She is also a former national record holder in the 3000 metres steeplechase.
Murali Kuttan was an Indian track and field athlete who represented the country as a sprinter on several occasions. He won the 400 metres gold in the Indo-Russian athletic meet in 1978. In the same year, he also won the bronze in the 400 metres at the Asian Games in Bangkok. He was married to former olympian athlete Mercy Kuttan.
Mukhbain Singh is an Indian field hockey player. He won the bronze medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.
In India, the sport of athletics was introduced during the period of the British Raj. The sport is governed at national level by the Athletics Federation of India, which was formed in 1946. Despite its large population, few Indian athletes have won a medal in a global or major championship. This began to change in the 21st century, when Indians started taking greater interest in athletics more generally and improved facilities for the sport began to be built at a local level. At a continental level, it has been among the more successful Asian nations, though some distance behind China and Japan.
Sellappuliyage Lucian Benedict Rosa is a former Sri Lankan long-distance runner. He represented Sri Lanka at the 1972 Summer Olympics held in Munich, Germany. He is best known for running barefooted and winning a 5000 metres and the 10,000 metres double at the 1970 Asian Games held in Bangkok, Thailand. His performance in 10,000 metres was also an Asian Games record.
Kenneth Lawrence Powell , popularly known as "The Gentleman Sprinter", was an Indian track and field athlete from the state of Karnataka. He competed in the 1964 Olympics and the 1970 Asian Games. He was a recipient of the Government of India's Arjuna Award in 1965 and Government of Karnataka's Rajyotsava Award in 2018.
Bhogeswar Baruah is an Indian former-athlete and coach. He was one of the first Assamese to win gold at an international event, winning a He gold medal in an 800-metre running event of at the 1966 Asian Games. He also won a silver medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay in the 1970 Asian games. He is a recipient of the Arjuna Award and is the first Assamese to obtain the Arjuna award.
Neeraj Chopra, PVSM, VSM is a track and field athlete from India. He is the reigning Olympic champion, silver medalist in the World Championship, and the Diamond League champion in Javelin throw. He is the first Asian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in Men's Javelin throw. A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) in the Indian Army, Chopra is the first track and field athlete to win a gold medal for India at the Olympics. He is also the first track and field athlete from India to win at the IAAF World U20 Championships, where in 2016 he achieved a world under-20 record throw of 86.48 m, becoming the first Indian athlete to set a world record.
Mary D'Souza Sequeira is an Indian female Olympian who competed internationally in track and field and field hockey. She competed in the women's 100 and 200 metres at the 1952 Summer Olympics. D'Souza won a bronze medal in the 200 metres and a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 1951 Asian Games with Pat Mendonca, Banoo Gulzar and Roshan Mistry.
