Dipa Karmakar, Sakshi Malik, Lalita Babar, Aditi Ashok and P V Sindhu are the five Indian women who have made our country proud.
In a dull and depressing Olympic journey, Indian women athletes are creating their own milestones. India’s honour is being restored at Rio by the grit and determination of a handful of brave women. Gymnast Dipa Karmakar to P V Sindhu who becomes first-ever Indian shuttler to enter in Olympic finals. Woman brigade are shining at the Olympics. It was till Thursday, India wasn’t having one single medal at the Olympics. Wrestler Sakshi Malik won first medal for our country. Sakshi clinched the long-coveted bronze for India. She is also the first female wrestler from India to win an Olympic medal in the sport.
This year it was proud moment for all Indians when they send their 120 players contingent, the largest ever till date. In all, there were 50 women athlete in the contingent. Dipa Karmakar India’s first female gymnast performed in Olympics after 52 years. Though she couldn’t win the medal but undoubtedly won everyone’s heart back country, as finished 4th in the final rounds. Recently, Dipa was nominated for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ranta Award, highest award in sports fraternity. Both Dipa and Sakshi went on the win the respect and heart of a country whose sports idols continue to be men.
Other players like Lalita Babar who too didn’t have the medal but managed to reached in the finals of 3000m steeplechase and finished 10th. Babar enters into the finals after 32 years. The legendary runner P T Usha was in the finals at Los Angeles 1984. Despite finishing 10th, Babar’s efforts were still the best performance of Indian athlete after PT Usha. Usha finished fourth at the Los Angeles Olympics.
Teen Indian golfer Aditi Ashok has also raised hopes of medal. She is placed on the 7th position of round two at the women’s individual event at Rio de Janeiro on Thursday. Aditi surprised everyone with her flawless performance. During the day, Aditi took a definitive lead over her opponents as she kept toggling between position- 1st, 2nd and 3rd, but eventually finished seventh. After the fantastic play everyone is eyeing for the remaining two days of women’s individual Golf. If Aditi continues this sort of performance they she could definitely join Sakshi Malik who yesterday won bronze for the country.
Add to this successful journey of women athletes, Indian shuttler or we call “the darkhorse” P V Sindhu has created history yesterday by making it to the finals. It is first time that an Indian badminton will be playing finals in women’s singles event. The immensely talented Hyderabadi has done a notch better than her illustrious senior Saina Nehwal who won country’s first badminton medal- a bronze.
Sindhu’s long height and long reach gave her a lot of advantage against the pint-sized Okuhara. It will be an historical final for Sindhu and all of India. Sindhu will be seen facing World Champion Carolina Marin from Spain. Marin holds their head-to-head meeting with 4-3 lead. It is great opportunity for Sindhu to match it.
