There was an era when Indian society was not very supportive of women going out of their houses for jobs. Going to different countries to play sports was a far-fetched thought, and only a few women were across professions. We have left that India back in the time, and we have collectively come a long way as a country and as a society. Indian women are today emerging as role models and donning different hats in different parts of the world. From Sarojini Naidu to Saina Nehwal, it has been a remarkable journey.
Indian women are becoming politicians, Chief Ministers, Cricketers, Athletes, Astronauts, Engineers, Doctors, Police Women, and Fighter Pilots. There’s hardly any field where women haven’t marked their presence.
Sports is one such field that demands continuous hard work, resilience, dedication, focus, sweat, and sometimes blood. But like any other challenge, the daughters of Mother India have slain all these challenges in style. They have not only earned the pride of playing for India but have also won several prestigious prizes for the country at international competitions. Be it cricket, badminton, wrestling, gymnastics, or chess, India’s daughters have excelled in every field. This blog is a tribute to 8 of India’s greatest women sportspersons.
Mary Kom
Who doesn’t know about India’s fighter daughter Mary Kom? Mary Kom braved many challenges at a time to become India’s most successful female boxer. A six-time World Amateur Boxing champion, Mary Kom is the only one to attain the feat. She is the single female boxer to obtain a medal each in the first seven World championships. She accomplished it while taking care of her family and three children. The star boxer is now a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha.
Mithali Raj
Everyone talks about the great Sachin Tendulkar, but Mithali Raj’s contribution to women cricket in India is not any lesser. She has transformed Indian women’s cricket and has inspired generations of women to break the social barriers and play for the country at the highest level. The right-handed batswoman and ODI captain for India is the highest scorer in women’s international cricket and is the only female cricketer to breach the 6,000 runs-mark in women’s ODI cricket. She led her side to the finals of the ODI world cup not once but twice.
Saina Nehwal
Saina Nehwal is a star badminton player from India. She has conquered more than 24 international titles, with 11 Superseries titles. The singles badminton player also reached the first spot of the global rankings in 2015, becoming the first woman shuttler and only second Indian shuttler to attain the feat. Saina has represented the country in the Olympics not once but thrice. She also won a bronze in her second Olympics appearance.
PV Sindhu
PV Sindhu can be credited for attracting the attention of sports lovers towards badminton. She did that by her spectacular performance at the Summer Olympics, where she won a Silver medal. Sindhu is currently ranked 3rd in the international rankings. She became the youngest Indian athlete to win an award in an individual event when she earned the medal at just 21. She is also the first shuttler from India to become World Champion. She also featured in the Forbes list of Highest-Paid Female Athletes in 2018.
Dipa Karmakar
Dipa Karmakar became an overnight sensation when she shined at the Summer Olympics in 2016. However, Dipa’s was a known name in Gymnastics’ field right from 2014 when she swayed a bronze medal at Commonwealth Games 2014 in Glasgow, becoming the first Indian female gymnast do so. In 2015, Dipa clinched a bronze medal at the Asian Gymnastics Championship. She also became the first Indian female gymnast to compete in the Olympics when featured in RIO’s 2016 Summer Olympics.
Geeta Phogat
Geeta Phogat became a known name after the release of Aamir Khan’s Dangal. However, she was already a known name for sports lovers. She won a Gold for the country in wrestling in Commonwealth Games in 2010, becoming the first Indian wrestler. She also grew as the first Indian female wrestler to qualify for the Olympic Summer Games. Geeta also won gold in the Wrestling FILA Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament in 2012.
Sakshi Malik
The story of Sakshi Malik is of a warrior. Every sports lover would remember the heroic moment when Malik made a historic comeback to win the Bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics despite trailing 0-5 to Asian Champion Aisiluu Tynybekova at one stage. But the story of Sakshi Malik’s success and the struggle goes back to 2014 when she clinched a silver at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. She also won a bronze in the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
Tania Sachdev
Tania Sachdev is a perfect combination of beauty and brains. She is the most successful female chess player from India. Tania holds the FIDE titles of International Master (IM) and Woman Grandmaster (WGM). Her mother introduced Tania to the game of chess, and she never looked back since then. Tania won the Women’s Asian Chess Championship with 6½ points out of nine rounds. She bestowed the prestigious Arjuna Award in 2006. She won the best woman’s prize at the Reykjavik Open in 2016.
