These Olympic athletes made the decision to defy convention and open doors for Indian sportswomen in a nation where men frequently dominate the sporting world.
Since the turn of the millennium, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of female athletes representing India on the international stage.
The first Olympic medal for an Indian weightlifter was won by the famous Karnam Malleswari in Sydney 2000, giving Indian women athletes their first taste of success. Karnam Malleswari made history by being the first Indian woman to take home an Olympic medal.
Karnam put in an incredible effort to earn the first-ever bronze medal, overcoming a lack of form and adjusting to a new weight class.
Karnam Malleswari may not have occupied the highest position on the podium, but she gave the nation something far more valuable: the self-assurance that Indian women athletes could, too, make the country very proud.
The following generation of Indian athletes, including M. C. Mary Kom, Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal, P. V. Sindhu, and Sakshi Mallik, were motivated by it to push themselves, overcome obstacles, and stake their claims to being among the greatest in the world by winning Olympic medal.
In their own words, Indian athletes share what motivated them to achieve their ambitions.
Saina Nehwal
Saina Nehwal’s bronze medal at London 2012, India’s first badminton medal at the Olympic Games, helped set new milestones.
Saina Nehwal rose to fame among Indian youngsters and Olympic aspirants after winning the medal and returning home. Since then, she has added many more medals to her collection, including ones from the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games.
However, what motivates the Indian shuttle star to perform at her peak each time she steps onto the court?
“I want to be the best, it’s not about the ranking, it’s about being consistent over a period of time.”
Mary Kom
Mary Kom, the first Indian female boxer to win an Olympic medal, paved the door for other Indian sports women.
This legendary boxer embodies all the qualities an ambitious Indian woman athlete seeks in a role model, whether it is her six world championships or her return to the ring after becoming pregnant.
However, despite female accomplishments, Mary Kom has faced criticism because boxing is a sport for males. The Indian legend, on the other hand, opted to respond to her detractors in the manner she knew how.
“People used to say that boxing is for men and not for women and I thought I will show them someday. I promised myself and proved myself.”
A record six World Boxing Championship titles have been won by the flyweight.
Mary Kom won her first match in her final Olympic outing at Tokyo 2020, however she barely lost to fellow Olympic bronze medalist Ingrit Victoria in the round of 16.
Her nickname, “Magnificent Mary,” is appropriate given her significant position in the sport.
In the past, India has produced some excellent boxers in the men’s division, but the southpaw from Manipur has outdone all of their accomplishments. She still serves as a source of inspiration for the whole country, but especially for sportswomen in India.
P. V. Sindhu
Few Indians have worn a silver medal around their neck while standing on the Olympic podium. Sushil Kumar, a wrestler, is the only other Indian to have ever won two individual Olympic medals.
P. V. Sindhu is the first Indian woman to do so. Her victories at Rio 2016 gave the sport a boost, and her historic victory at the BWF World Championships made India a serious contender for the top spot.
With a bronze in the women’s singles event in Tokyo 2020, P. V. Sindhu increased her medal total to two in two Olympic appearances.
One of the things that has motivated Sindhu throughout the years is her unwavering commitment to excellence.
“The greatest asset is a strong mind. If I know someone is training harder than I am, I have no excuses.”
Today, badminton is seen as a sport in which India enjoys international renown. And Sindhu and Saina Nehwal have contributed to taking it to new heights, particularly for Indian women in sports.
Sakshi Mallik
India and wrestling have an illustrious past that they can draw upon at the Olympics. It is a discipline that has given the nation medal winners, whether it was K. D. Jadhav in 1952 or Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt since the turn of the century.
However, it wasn’t until Rio 2016 when an Indian also took home a medal in the women’s division. Sakshi Malik, who won bronze in the 58kg division at the 2016 Olympics, made history by being the first Indian woman to win an Olympic wrestling medal.
Sakshi Mallik made history in the 2016 Olympics by being the first Indian woman to win an Olympic wrestling medal when she won bronze in the 58kg division.
Speaking about the win, Sakshi would later say:
“I never gave up till the end, I knew I would win if I lasted six minutes. In the final round, I had to give my maximum, I had the self-belief.”
Mirabai Chanu
Mirabai Chanu has may be advanced Indian weightlifting. Mirabai, a world champion in 2017, took home a silver medal for the 2022 World Weightlifting Championships in Bogota. Mirabai Chanu is a two-time Commonwealth Games champion who won back-to-back gold medals in Birmingham in 2022 and Gold Coast in 2018 after taking home a silver in Glasgow in 2014. Additionally, she won the bronze medal at the 2020 Asian Championships. Her greatest achievement, however, is the silver medal she won in the 49kg division at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She did this after rebounding admirably after a lacklustre performance at the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
“Since I won the silver medal in Tokyo, several young athletes, especially girls, have been inspired by me. There are very few female athletes in this sport. I want to be a role model for those aspiring to take up weightlifting,”
India’s female athletes in the future
The list of notable Indian athletes will now include boxer Lovlina Borgohain for Tokyo 2020. She made her Olympic debut in the women’s 69kg division, winning bronze by defeating Chinese Taipei’s Chen Nien-Chin, the fourth seed, to secure her medal. She has a promising future and is one of India’s youngest medal winners.
In the figure of Hima Das, Indian track and field has recently received new hope. With her gold at the Asian Games and World U-20 Championships in 2018, she made a breakthrough. She won five gold medals in a row in July, matching the Indian cricket team’s popularity during the ICC Cricket World Cup at one point in the year.
While some women are yet to hit historic highs at international level, their prowess and gradual development bodes well for the future of women in sports in India.