A few decades ago women weren’t involved in the sport that much, primarily because of the stereotypes and social barriers. But these days things are changing rapid. Perhaps we should declare that things have “Changed” quite a lot? So far we’ve witnessed some of the most beautiful athletes the world has ever witnessed and they’re all from India. If you’re already feeling enthralled about this topic so far, you shouldn’t be absconding from this article. Why? It’s because we’re ready to reveal the top 10 famous women in sports in India to date, so we’ll get straight to it. Let’s get started.
1. PV Sindhu
PV Sindhu is among the top players from India in badminton there is no doubt about it. If we’re talking about badminton, and it’s a sport we’ talking about, there’s practically no way to do not talk about PV Sindhu. Yes she’s that famous. She gained fame after she won her the gold medal in the Rio Olympics in 2016, and the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Do you remember these? And then, in 2019 she became one of the few female Indian to be awarded the gold medal in the BWF World Championships. But, it’s not all that great however, over the years she has won silver and bronze medals at Commonwealth as well as Asian Games. Yes, after doing everything, and achieving more ambitious goals and making India very proud in the world stage too, she certainly deserves this Padma Bhushan and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award.
2. Mary Kom
We’ve all seen that stunning and uplifting film Mary Kom did you not? It was the time the majority of people came to learn the story of Mary Kom, and how she did India proud on the international stage. For the record that people refer to her as “Magnificent Mary” as she is the six-time world champion. In boxing, for instance she was the very first Indian woman to earn a bronze medal in the London Olympics in 2012. It’s true that Mary Kom is a sportsperson from a tiny village in Manipur who has fought for a long time to be successful. If you look at her more closely and you’ll realize that she’s the most qualified candidate to win the prestigious awards such as Padma Vibhushan or Padma Bhushan.
3. Mithali Raj
Are you a fan of cricket for women? If so, then you are aware of whom Mithali Raj is. And surely, she’s well-known. It’s a lot of fame actually! As the first female player to reach the mark of 6000 runs in ODIs she’s the top scorer in women’s international cricket. Are you aware of this? Just to be clear she helped the team reach the two World Cup finals in 2005 and 2017.
4. Saina Nehwal
The next one is You’ll notice that Saina Nehwal is also a famous badminton star. Similar to, Saina Nehwal became the first Indian woman to earn an Olympic medal and win Bronze in badminton during the London Olympics in 2012. At that time she was the most popular player in the world and was a winner of numerous major tournaments like Commonwealth Games, Super Series events, and much more. She was among the few players who influenced a lot of people throughout the world and helped make badminton very popular.
5. Sania Mirza
Then there’s Sania Mirza, who again is one of the most successful tennis stars India has ever witnessed. As many of you will recall her making history by becoming the very first Indian woman to take home the Grand Slam. Sania has won six Grand Slam titles in doubles and mixed doubles. She was ranked as the top female player in world rankings for women’s doubles for 91 weeks! In addition she has also been a winner of the major tournaments such as such as the Australian, French, and US Open, how about you think about that?
6. Sakshi Malik
On the next list, you’ll notice that it was not a single person but Sakshi Malik, who made India proud when she became an the only Indian woman to earn the Olympic medal. It was actually after she won a medal in the bronze category at Rio Olympics 2016that has was enough to make her an international icon. Sakshi is from Rohtak, Haryana, a region that is awash in wrestling tradition. She also has won prizes at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Wrestling Championships.
7. Deepika Kumari
Okay, so that you are aware, Deepika Kumari has been an important participant for India in a variety of international archery tournaments. In the beginning she was that 2010 Commonwealth Games Gold that made her famous, know? Yes, she ultimately became the top world female recurve archer. How did that happen? Deepika has won numerous medals at the Olympics and also competed in important events like World Cups.
8. Dipa Karmakar
Are you aware it is the case that Dipa Karmakar is an incredibly popular gymnast thanks to her fourth place performance during the 2016 Rio Olympics? Like the rest of us, we know her for her super-strong vault, dubbed “Produnova”. To give you a an idea of the situation, only a handful of gymnasts can do this feat. Dipa has also received awards at the Commonwealth Games and at the Asian Gymnastics Championships.
9. Geeta Phogat
Geeta Phogat was one of the first women champions in Indian wrestling history and, as you may know, the first Indian woman to be awarded an Olympic gold medal during the Commonwealth Games in 2010, she was also the first Indian female wrestler who qualified to compete in the Olympics. Many of you might be following her journey since the cult Bollywood film Dangal which was influenced to her tale. She’s a winner, without a doubt!
10. Jhulan Goswami
Okay, another female cricketer is in the mix and this time, it’s is a phenomenal bowler to talk about. Yes, Jhulan Goswami! She is certainly an exceptional woman for India’s women’s team. So far she’s taken the most amount of wickets during ODI (One Day Internationals). Due to her it is certain that India has made it to the World Cup finals numerous times.
Conclusion
That’s all. It’s true that the list of these well-known and powerful and influential women in sports continues to grow and on, but in the end they are among the top 10 athletes who made the list for a variety of reasons. It is highly recommended for you to learn the details of their personal story in order to know closer to the truth.
