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In the last 3 years, there has been a lot of talk about Indian sportswomen making the nation proud in world events in their respective sports. In spite of them not getting enough support from the fans and the media back home comparing them to their male counterparts, the women have somehow managed to steal the attention, thanks to their outstanding performances in International competitions.
It all started at the Rio Olympics a couple of years ago when among 117 athletes that represented the country - 63 men and 54 women - only 2 players went on to finish on the podium, both of them women, namely Badminton sensation PV Sindhu and Wrestler Sakshi Malik. A year later, the Indian Women's Cricket team reached the final of ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 in England, falling agonizingly short in the summit clash.
This year the girls have continued with their magnificent displays on the global stage. There have been great performances from the new faces as well as some familiar ones. Last month 18-year-old sensation Hima Das from Assam made history as she became the 1st Indian to win a Gold medal at a global track event. The Women’s Hockey team reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup. PV Sindhu reached the finals of the BWF World Championship in Nanjing but unfortunately settled for a Silver medal.
The rise of the Indian women has not come out of the blue. In Tennis, Sania Mirza has been winning Grand Slams while in Boxing, Mary Kom has been winning the continental and world titles regularly over the course of her career. The Pullela Gopichand-coached Hyderabadi girls, Sindhu and Saina, have been winning titles consistently, including Olympic medals at the last 2 Games. In Cricket, Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami are the top run-getter and wicket-taker respectively in One Day Internationals.
These are just a few of the many achievements that the women have next to their name in the past decade or so. So what’s the reason behind the great performances of the Indian women? The first reason for this is that the Indian sportswomen have overcome a lot of adversity as compared to the men, especially in the rural areas. Fighting to play the sport they love really makes them stronger emotionally, although a change in perspective is the need of the hour.
There have been women from every part of the country who have won accolades and made the nation proud. The fans should take notice of the fact that these girls are only in the limelight and get the media attention when they win at global events but the journey to the top is full of challenges.
