Top 10 Women Sports Icon in India
Women have to face many difficulties in these modern days and grow with their passion, many of them loose, but some become the inspiration for rest & show them you can do anything you want, which is true.
India is a country where females are given the highest spot in the form of goddesses. Many women figures & activists like Rani Lakshmi Bai, Gargi Devi, Kittur Rani Chennamma, Sucheta Kriplani, and many more have contributed to the independence of India. Their names are the golden part of history that will be remembered.
Many women in sports are an inspiration for other girls to work for their dreams in the field of sports. So these are the top 10 women sports icon in India who proved that no matter how many difficulties life gives but you are stronger than you think.
1) PT Usha
PT Usha is a name that will always be in the book of sports, known as the ‘Queen of Indian track & field’. She was born in Kuttali, Kerala, on June 27, 1964, and she has been a part of Indian athletics since the year 1979. People still call her the Payyoli Express, as they have not seen anybody else running with the speed she used to.
PT Usha started her journey in the year 1977, where an athletic coach saw her personality and thought that she could be an outstanding sprinter, and this was it. The coach started PT Usha’s training in the same year, and later in a significantly less time; she won 6 medals in the inter-state juniors meet in the year 1978 held at Kollam, out of which 4 were golds, one silver & 1 bronze.
She continued and won 14 medals in Kerala’s State College Meet; her journey had begun she was setting records in athletics. She put her first National record in Bangalore inter-state meet by completing 100 m in 11.8 seconds & 200 m in 24.6 seconds. She represented India in many international competitions like Olympics, Asian Games, World Championship, etc.
PT Usha also broke many of her records, but this journey was not easy since childhood. She did not have enough facilities even for the training, but that passion & the dream to do something brought her to this stage of her life where people still admire her & she is one of the sports icons in India.
She is currently serving as a Board of Advisor if I.I.M.U.N. (India’s International Movement to Unite Nations). She has won Padma Shri Award in 1985, I.A.A.F. Veteran Pin in the year 2019, and many more.
2) Mithali Raj
Mithali Raj is a well-known name in women’s cricket. She was born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, on December 3, 1982. Mithali Raj is serving as the Women’s National Cricket Team captain in the test series and ODI matches. Along with that, she is the highest run-scorer in the International Cricket Women.
The achievement does not end here, and she is the only woman cricketer to cross the hurdle of scoring seven thousand runs in Women’s One Day International matches. Mithali Raj is the first player to score 7 consecutive half-centuries in Women’s One Day Internationals.
She has won many national and international awards for her contribution to sports. Her journey in the game started when she was just ten years old & later, she started practising cricket with her elder brother during her school days.
Mithali Raj is often referred to as the “Lady Tendulkar of India Women’s Cricket Team”, she has managed herself to be one of the top scorers in the field. Not only this, but she holds the record for playing the most consecutive W.O.D.I.s for the team.
She has won many awards like Arjuna Award in 2003, Padma Shri Award in 2015, Khel Ratna Award in 2021, and many more.
3) Dipa Karmakar
A name that came into highlight after she represented India in the Olympic Games in the year 2016 organized at Rio de Janerio & she became the first Indian female Gymnast to do so from India in the history. Dipa Karmakar is an artistic gymnast & she was born in Agartala, Tripura on August 9, 1993.
Before the Olympics Games, she made into the talks in 2014, when she participated in the Commonwealth Games held at Glasgow. She was also the first female Gymnast to represent India in history. Apart from that, she finished at the 5th position at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championship in the year 2015 & won the bronze medal in the Asian Gymnastics Championship.
At the Rio Olympics, she finished at the 4th position with 15.066. Later in 2018, Dipa became the first Indian Gymnast to win the gold medal in the global event held in Mersin, Turkey, at FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup.
Dipa Karmakar is one among the five women who have landed successfully the Produnova, which is referred to as the most difficult vault in Women’s Gymnastics. She has won many awards like Arjuna Award in 2015, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2016, Padma Shri Award in 2017, and she was listed in the Forbes list of super achievers in the year 2017.
4) Sania Mirza
Sania Mirza is one of those permanent names that are counted in the talks of Women sports, and she is a tennis player who has a considerable contribution in the field of women sports. She was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, on November 15, 1986.
Sania Mirza is a former Doubles World no.1 player. Apart from that, she has won 6 Grand Slam titles. From the year 2003 till the time she retired from the singles in 2013, Sania was ranked as India’s no.1 player by the Women’s Tennis Association.
She has won many notable matches in her playing career like Vera Zvonareva, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Martina Hingis (former world no.1), Victoria Azarenka, and many more. In the history of India, Sania is the highest-ranked female player, but due to her significant wrist injury, she had to retire from single & she started focusing on Doubles.
She was introduced to tennis at the age of 6, and in the year 2003, she played the game professionally. In her junior games, she won 13 doubles & 10singles, not only this in 2003, but Sania Mirza also won the Wimbledon Championship partnering with Alisa Kleybanova. If we count her journey & achievements, it will take a very long, time, but this journey has not been easy.
She has won many awards like Arjuna Award in the year 2004, Padma Shri Award in the Year 2006, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2015, and Padma Bhushan in 2016 and many more.
5) PV Sindhu
Pusarla Venkata Sindhu, commonly known as PV Sindhu, is one of the top badminton players in India. She was born in Hyderabad, Telangana (Earlier Andhra Pradesh) on July 5, 1995. PV Sindhu is referred to as one of the most successful badminton players in the country. Not only this, Sindhu is the first Indian to spot her position as the Badminton World Champion and only 2nd athlete individual to win two medals consecutively in the Olympic Games.
In the year 2017, she got the world ranking of no.2. At the age of 17, she entered into the count of the top 20 B.W.F. World Ranking. PV Sindhu represented India in the Rio Olympics in 2016 and won a silver medal. In contrast, in the year 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she won the bronze medal for the nation, and by doing this, she became the first Indian woman in history to win 2 Olympic medals.
At the age of 8, she started playing badminton, which became her weapon to conquer success. She has won many awards like Padma Bhushan in the year 2020, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2016, Padma Shri Award in 2015, Arjuna Award in 2013.
6) Saakshi Malik
Saakshi Malik is an Indian wrestler who came into the talks after her excellent medal-winning performance in Rio Olympics 2016. She was born in Rohtak, Haryana, on September 3, 1992. She is the first Indian female wrestler to win the medal at Olympic Games.
Earlier, she was into the talks when she won the silver medal for the country in the Commonwealth Games in the year 2014 held at Glasgow and Bronze Medal in Asian Wrestling Championship held in Doha in the year 2015.
Saakshi Malik started her wrestling training at the age of 12 in Rohtak; later in 2010, she stepped in as the professional wrestler in the Junior World Championship and won the Bronze medal.
She has won many awards, including Padma Shri in 2017, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2016, and many more.
7) Anju Bobby George
Anju Bobby George is a retired Indian athlete. She was born in Kottayam, Kerala, on April 19, 1977. Anju created history when she won the Bronze medal in the Athletics World Championship in the year 2003 held in Paris. She became the first Indian athlete to win the award in athletics in World Championship.
Anju Bobby George started her career with Heptathlon, but later, she focused on the jump events, and in the year 1996, she won the medal in the long jump event. She continued, and in the year 199, she set the national record in the triple jump.
She won many awards like Arjuna Award in the year 2003, Major Dhyan Chand Award in 2004, Padma Shri in 2004, and the year 2021, and she won the B.B.C. Lifetime Achievement Award.
8) Hima Das
Hima Das, often referred to as Dhing Express, is an Indian sprinter. She was born in Dhing Assam on January 9, 2000. She is currently appointed as the D.S.P. (Deputy Superintendent of Police) in Assam. Hima Das holds the current national record of 400 m in 50.79 seconds which she set in the Asian Games in 2018 held in Jakarta.
Hima Das became the first Indian athlete to win the gold medal in the track & field at the World Under 20 Championship by I.A.A.F. She participated in the Commonwealth Games held at Gold Coast, Australia, in 2018. She continued to win the gold medal in the 200m at Poznan Grand Prix born in Poland in the year 2019.
She has won many awards, including Arjuna Award in the year 2018 and many more. She is the second athlete from Assam to win the gold medal at the international level.
9) Geeta Phogat
The famous Phogat sister, Geeta Phogat, is the eldest Phogat sister. She is a freestyle Indian wrestler who has represented India at various international events. She was born in Balali, Haryana, on December 15, 1988. She came into the limelight after a biography movie named ‘Dangal’ was released, which portrayed the struggles of Geeta Phogat and Mahavir Phogat.
Geeta Phogat is the first Indian to win the gold medal in the wrestling event at the Commonwealth Games held in 2010. Not only this, she is the 1st wrestler who qualified for the Olympic Games. Even after facing so many ups and downs, she proved herself & completed the dream of her father to win the gold medal for the country.
There was a time when she faced difficulties in her wrestling career, but she bounced back with the Gold in Commonwealth Games. Geeta won the bronze medal at World Wrestling Championship held in Canada in 2012. Apart from games, she participated in the Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi Season 8.
She has won the Bronze medal in Asian Championship held in Gumi in 2015 & Doha in 2015, and she was also awarded the Arjuna Award.
10) Karnam Malleswari
This name is not so familiar to the citizens, but she is the first Indian female to win the medal at the Olympic Games in the year 2000. Karnam Malleswari chose a very tough path, where people did not even think of opting for weightlifting, and she opted, trained, and conquered her dreams. She was born in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, on June 1, 1975.
At that time, weightlifting was not so popular in India, especially when it comes to women, that is like odd ones out, but as we say, winners find their ways and reach the destination, she did it.
In 1994, she won the silver medal at World Championship held in Istanbul. She fixed her spot as the weightlifting world champion twice before winning her Olympic medal 7. At that time, she had 29 international awards, including eleven golds.
She has won many awards like the Arjuna Award in Year 1994, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1999, and Padma Shri Award in the same year.
So these are the top 10 women sports icon in India. Boys and girls are no less in any field; they become an inspiration to thousands of others as women are the most powerful creatures.
edited and proofread by nikita sharma
