Girl Power: The wonder women of Indian sports1 min read

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Have you heard of Indian weightlifting champion Karnam Malleswari? She is the first Indian woman to win an Olympic Medal!

Called ”The Iron Lady’ because of her strength, Karnam won the bronze medal for weightlifting in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. “This medal didn’t feel my own, but the whole country’s,” she said when asked about her victory. India’s then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee even called her ‘Bharat ki beti’ (daughter of India) after the win. And inspired by her, the coming years saw a number of young girls take to various sports with the hope of continuing Karnam’s legacy.

Before Karnam, there was PT Usha, the sprint queen, who won the Gold in 1983 Asian Games. But it was Karnam’s medal and efforts that made made people take women in sports seriously. A new age of sports superstars began, with Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal, Geeta Phogat, and others. Some have even had movies made on them, like Dangal, which details the life of Geeta Phogat, the wrestler overcame many problems before finally representing India in women’s wrestling.

When India hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2010 in New Delhi, women won almost half of the 101 medals for India. A number of women took part and won, and the country noticed.

Adapted from Olympic Channel

It’s time to think!

Who is your favorite Indian woman athlete?
When I was 10 years, I could finish a 100 metre race in 16.5 seconds. Do you know how long you took?