National Sports Day: 5 Women Athletes Who Made India Proud

Indian women have made our country’s flag fly high. Be it academics, politics, medicine or sports- there is a long list of fields where women made the country proud. Most of them fought their way through many obstacles like stereotyping and narrow mindedness just because they were women. However, they chose to break these shackles and soared high. 

On National Sports Day, let’s reminisce about all those women who have and still are putting the nation on the map with their effort and hard work. Here are the 5 women athletes who have made India proud.

1. Sania Mirza- Tennis 
A former world number one in doubles and a winner of six Grand Slam titles, Sania Mirza is one of India's most successful women tennis players. She has won 14 medals, which includes six golds won at Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games and the Afro-Asian Games. She recently made her comeback post her maternity leave and is hoping to participate in the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

2. Mary Kom- Boxing
Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom is the only female athlete who became World Amateur Boxing champion for six times, the only female boxer to have won a medal in each of the first seven World Championships, and the only boxer to win eight World Championship medals.

3. Saina Nehwal- Badminton 
The pioneer of this revolution in badminton, Saina Nehwal has won 24 international titles. She also represented India thrice at the Olympics and won a bronze in her second appearance. She has three Commonwealth Games gold and two bronze in Asian Games.

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4. PV Sindhu- Badminton
By making her international debut in 2009, Pusarla Venkata Sindhu rose to a career-high ranking of number 2 in April 2017. She is the first Indian woman to earn an Olympic Silver medal and first Indian to become the Badminton World Champion. Throughout her career, she has won medals at multiple tournaments including Olympics and on the BWF circuit including a gold at the 2019 World Championships.

5. Dutee Chand- Track and Field
Indian professional sprinter and current national champion in the women's 100 metres at Summer Olympic Games, Dutee Chand is the third Indian woman to ever qualify for the Women's 100 metres event. Dutee Chand recently became the first Indian woman track and field athlete to clinch a gold medal at the 30th Summer University Games in Italy. She had clocked 11.23 in the 100m event to clinch the gold medal.