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These women have dazzled, they have inspired and they have won hearts by pushing the boundaries of their sport to unexplored territory. Sports in India does not currently have the momentum that it deserves, but no matter the challenges, these women have taken matters into their own hands and showed the country- and the world- exactly what they are capable of. This women’s day, we would like to celebrate some of these amazing sportswomen and have a look at what they have accomplished.  

1. PV Sindhu: A professional badminton player, and current Indian favourite, PV Sindhu caught the attention of the world when she broke into the top 20 of the BWF at the young age of 17. Sindhu is the epitome of grace on the court, the way she plays her game is nothing short of phenomenal. Currently ranked at 4th place on the world rankings, PV Sindhu has had an illustrious career in a short span of time, and continues to impress with her hard work, dedication and sportsmanship. In 2013, Sindhu became the first ever Indian woman to win a medal at the Badminton world championships.  She had the whole country on the edge of their seats while she played for gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics; she became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic silver medal.

• Mithali Raj: An Indian cricketer and captain of the national women’s team, Mitali Raj has had an extremely successful career; she made her international debut in 1999 against England at the age of 15 and continues to play till this day. She is regarded as one of the greatest Indian players, and holds the record for most number of runs scored in women’s international cricket. She is the only women cricketer to have surpassed the 6000 run mark in ODI’s. She has captained the team to victory in two ICC world cups- 2005 and 2017- and is the only Indian with that distinction. She is a passionate sportsperson, who advocates for more women to enter the world of sports, and is an inspiration to many.

• Mary Kom: The prolific boxer has the distinction of being the five-time World Amateur Boxing Champion. This inspirational woman hails from Imphal, Manipur and has made the whole country proud with her long list of achievements. She is the only Indian woman to have qualified for the 2012 olympics held in Beijing, where she also won a bronze medal. She comes from a small town in North-East India, and faced several obstacles on her path to becoming a boxer, something that has long been understood to be a ‘masculine’ sport, but she approached every challenge with grace and dignity. Mary was awarded the Padma Shri in 2010 and Padma Bhushan in 2013, for her achievements in the field of sports.
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• Saina Nehwal:  The first Indian woman to put Badminton on the map, Saina Nehwal came into the Indian badminton scene at the early age of 15. She defeated 9-time national champion, Aparna Popat, at the Asian Satellite Championships in New Delhi. Nehwal has gone from strength-to-strength and climbed the international rankings ladder and attained the world No.1 position in 2015. She is the only female player from India to have this distinction and the second Indian- after Prakash Padukone. She has won over 23 international titles, which include 10 Superseries titles and has represented India three times in the Olympics. She has contributed to the increasing popularity of badminton in India and has inspired a generation of Indian women to take up the same.

• Geeta Phogat: Phogat is a female wrestler from a small village in Haryana, who has gone on to achieve big things. A freestyle wrestler, she is the first Indian to have won a gold medal in wrestling at the Commonwealth games in 2010. Her story has been immortalised on the silver screen, through Dangal, and hers is an amazingly inspirational story. A small town girl overcoming the odds to becoming one of the biggest names in women’s international wrestling is simply amazing. Her father, Mahavir Singh Phogat, is a wrestler himself and is also her coach. Phogat has several international accolades to her name and is the first female wrestler to have qualified for the Olympic games. She was conferred the Arjuna award by the Indian government for her exemplary achievements in 2012.

Each of these women have a story to tell. It is one of perseverance, hard work and beating the odds to make a name for themselves. In a society that mostly looks down upon women who want to pursue the life of an athlete, what they have accomplished only serves to endear them further. We can all take a page out of their book, and celebrate these amazing women.

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