Indian feminine athletes have at all times been an necessary a part of Indian sporting tradition regardless of going by means of main challenges at first of their careers being it household help, societal discrimination, or office disparity.

Female athletes of India have been succeeding on the prime stage leading to proud moments for the followers be it Saina Nehwal – the first-ever Olympic medalist in badminton or Mary Kom, a six-time world champion.

Here, The Bridge celebrates such historic trendsetters or first moments by an Indian feminine athlete within the sporting world

Nora Polley – First Indian girl on the Olympics

Nora Polley was the primary Indian to participate within the Olympic Games, she was the lone Indian feminine participant on the 1924 Olympics in Paris, when she competed within the tennis occasions.

Polley competed in each the ladies’s singles and combined doubles tennis occasions on the occasion she went for the occasion by reaching the semi-finals in a match in Cannes. At the Olympics, she began with a win within the second spherical of the Women’s singles class.

This makes her additionally the primary girl to register a win on the Olympic Games. Though, she misplaced in her third-round encounter in opposition to Lili Alvarez of Spain her look on the occasion has made a big impact on Indian sporting tradition as extra feminine athletes are inspired to decide on sports activities as a profession.

Karnam Malleswari – First Olympic medal

It took greater than 75 years for an Indian feminine athlete to win a medal on the Olympic Games, she was a 25-year-old lady from a small village in Andhra Pradesh. The athlete we’re speaking about is weightlifter Kallam Malleswari.

She was a two-time world champion successful two titles within the 54 kg division in 1994 and 1995 earlier than touchdown on her first podium end on the Sydney Olympics in 2000, when she clinched the bronze medal in girls’s 69 KG in a really shut last.

Karnam selected weightlifting as a sport when she was simply 12 years outdated beneath the teaching of Neelam Shetty Appanna. After her enormous impression in world sports activities together with her quite a few medals, Malleswari was additionally awarded many nationwide rewards just like the Arjuna Award in 1994, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 1999, and Padma Shri in 1999.

Deepa Malik – First Paralympic medal

Deepa Malik is an athlete who surpassed all of the challenges in her life to develop into the primary Indian feminine athlete to win a medal on the Summer Paralympics. She received the silver medal within the shot put within the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, Brazil.

She began her profession on the age of 30, which is already a really robust job for an individual, however her willpower led her to beat the age barrier to develop into a famend skilled athlete.

Deepa, who got here out from a analysis of a spinal tumor twice in her life and plenty of surgical procedures all through, impressed many different girls to combat arduous with their issues and illnesses and select sports activities as a treatment for that factor.

Her wonderful journey led her to win many extra medals in each nationwide and worldwide occasions. In 2020, she was additionally elected because the President of the Paralympic Committee of India.

Anju Bobby George – First athlete to medal at World Athletics C’Ship

The nationwide report holder within the lengthy leap, Anju Bobby George, was the primary Indian athlete to win a bronze medal on the World Athletics Championships throughout gender. She received the bronze medal clearing 6.70 m in Long Jump on the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris.

She was a star athlete for India at the moment and likewise did very properly on the 2004 Olympic video games in Athens attaining her private better of 6.83 m on the 2004 Olympics which introduced her the fifth place. This continues to be one of many longest-holding nationwide information for India.

Born in Kottayam, Kerala in 1977, Anju Bobby George was launched to the world of athletics by her father Okay.T. Markos as a baby, and her expertise was honed on the CKM Koruthode college.

Her achievements on this sport have had a monumental impression on Indian athletics inspiring the subsequent technology of lengthy jumpers. She can be the present vice-president of the Athletics Federation of India.

Aparna Ghosh – First recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award

The first feminine recipient of the Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award was Aparna Ghosh, who was 2002 honored with this within the sport of basketball. This award has been honoured to the athletes for his or her contributions to sport each throughout their energetic sporting profession and after retirement.

Aparna Ghosh, coming from Bolpur City in West Bengal, is among the most achieved gamers and coaches in Indian basketball, she performed for the Indian nationwide staff for nearly 16 years and likewise grew to become a extremely profitable coach for Indian Railways.

Ghosh has led Indian Railways girls to many successes for a number of years. She has additionally served as a part of India’s nationwide teaching system and was the nationwide girls’s staff assistant coach on the 2015 Asia Women’s Championship.

She has devoted her full lifetime to the game of basketball in India which impressed many extra feminine coaches to come back up and take the obligations of dealing with a staff or an athlete all through the journey.

Few extra feminine athletes who’ve lasting impression on Indian Sports

Kamaljit Sandhu – The first Indian girl to win a gold on the Asian Games

Jyotirmoyee Sikdar – First girl Athlete to be awarded the Khel Ratna Award

Anne Lumsden – First feminine recipient of the celebrated Arjun Award