India, Dec. 31 -- It's not common for Neeraj Chopra to finish eighth at the World Championships, but if there's anything Indian sports fans, spoiled by his unerring consistency, will remember 2025 for, it may well be for the double Olympic medallist looking his most vulnerable. Interestingly, it was also the year Chopra breached the 90m barrier for the first time -- it's just been that kind of year.

The year after the Olympics is usually subdued with most athletes going back to the drawing board to recalibrate strategies for the new cycle, and for some of India's biggest medal potentials, that was precisely the case. Badminton ace PV Sindhu battled form and injuries while long jumper Murali Sreeshankar made a triumphant return from a car...