10 Unsung Sportwomen Of India Who Deserve As Much Respect As Their Male Counterparts

Even though women sportswomen put in a hundred percent effort in their passion, they have never gotten the kind of attention their male counterparts have gotten, until very recently. Women have to put in way more effort and sacrifice to even get to the national level in any sport or athletic event. Their most notorious detractors are non-existent training facilities for women, blatant sexism and social prejudices.

Even in such a hostile atmosphere, women have excelled in sports in a way that is truly inspiring. They have won National awards and have been recognised by the government too. But they have not been celebrated like their counterparts – be it the men or the cricket players.

We compiled a list of grossly underrated and undercelebrated sportswomen who deserve so much more than just Arjuna Awards.

1. Mithali Raj – Has a better batting record than most of the male cricketers out there.

Known as the female Tendulkar, Mithali Raj has rightfully carved a space for herself in cricketing history. She has consistently held an average of over 50 in both tests and ODIs. She has the highest score of 214 in women’s cricket. No wonder she could do it, because she trained for over 12 hours when she was a kid.

When she first became the captain, she led India to its first World Cup final in 2005.

Because of her impressive achievements in cricket, she was the first female to be given the tag of ‘Wisden’s Cricketer of The Year’ in the year 2015.

Fact Source

 

2. Karnam Malleswari – She was the first woman to win an Olympic  medal for India since Independence.

No woman had won an Olympic medal for India in a hundred years. Literally. We had a woman prime minister, we had women in the combat zone in Kargil, but we still were bad at encouraging women athletes to win Olympic medals.

Before she won the medal, she lifted weights for 10 years, not missing a single day. No rest day at all. Was it hard?

“Oh, bahut pain, bahut pain, you can’t sleep.”

When she went to Sydney to participate in the Olympics, she was thought of as a tourist. She had doubters even when she was recognised as a competitor.

You showed them, Karnam.

Fact Source

 

3. Anju Bobby George – she became the first Indian athlete ever to win a medal in a World Championships in Athletics

Although women runners are quite common in Indian athletics, long jumpers were almost unheard of. That was until Anju Bobby George wowed the country by winning a bronze at World Championships in Paris. She was a medal hopeful for the Athens Olympics but missed out on a medal. But this might change as all the athletes who did win in Athens turned out positive for doping.

Anju Bobby George might just get what she deserved all this long.

Fact Source

 

4. Humpy Koneru – second female player in the world to reach an Elo rating of 2600

Just like Mithali, Humpy took up a sport that has the name Vishwanathan Anand attached to it. But she made a name for herself by becoming the youngest woman in the world to become a Grandmaster at the young age of just 15 years.

And if you thought why she has not been as popular as Judith Polgar, The All India Chess Federation prevented her from the World Chess Federation. They also did not allow her father to travel with her.

But despite all these hurdles, she did make a name for herself in India and the world.

Fact Source

 

5. Anjali Bhagwat – she became the first Indian to ever feature in a final of an Olympic shooting event in 2000 Sydney Olympics.

She has represented India in three consecutive Olympics and basically opened up the avenues for all the women shooters in India. She is so good that she is the only Indian person to win the the ISSF Champions’ Trophy in Air Rifle Men & Women mixed event at Munich in 2002.

To date, she has won 55 Gold, 35 Silver and 16 Bronze medals and has set 13 international records.

If she had gotten adequate support from the Indian Government, we would have multiple Olympic medals courtesy of Anjali.

Fact Source

 

6. Mary D’Souza Sequeira – India’s first female Olympian.

She participated in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. But it took the Indian Government over 40 years to recognise her achievements. She won the Dhyan Chand Award only in 2013. And not just athletics, she even played hockey really well, representing India internationally.

Today, she would have been celebrated for being so talented – a sprinter and a hockey player. But during her time, she was content with becoming the best with whatever the state machinery gave her.

A true champion.

Fact Source

 

7. K. M. Beenamol – She made a record with her brother for becoming the first sibling pair to win medals in an international event.

Even when she participated in the 2000 Olympics, she was not well-known. When she became only the third woman after P T Usha to enter the semi-finals of an Olympic event, she made headlines. She was later deservedly given India’s highest sporting honour with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.

 

8. Sarjubala Devi – potentially, the next Mary Kom and a serious medal prospect in the next Olympics

Just like Mary Kom, Sarjubala is also from Manipur. She has won three national championships in a row and is a silver medalist in World Championships at the tender age of just 24.

“I’m confident I can win the championship again. I’ll do it.”

Keep an eye out for her.

Fact Source

 

9. Shiny Abraham – held the national record for the 800 meters for 14 years.

Until her retirement, she won in every race she took part in the national meets. She became the first Indian woman to enter a semi-final of an Olympic event, even before P T Usha. In 1992 Barcelona Olympics, she became the first woman flag bearer of the contingent. She took part in 3 Olympics and represented India over 75 times.

Partnering with P T Usha, India entered the final of the 4X400 relay for the first time ever.

It is sad that people do not know her as well as P T Usha.

Fact Source

 

10. M. D. Valsamma – the second Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Asian Games and the first woman to win it on Indian soil

She was the Asian champion in 400m in 1982 and even had an Asian record to her name. But because she was not given any international exposure, she did not perform her best in 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Her coach was cleared late and her practice suffered, not to mention that the she was not acclimatized for the cold weather either.

She was considered a bitter rival of P T Usha at that time, but she felt really good when P T Usha qualified for the finals.

Fact Source

We are in an age where PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, and Dip Karmakar are looked at as heroes and role models. But long before the people or the government showered successful athletes with accolades, there were women who toiled without any expectations. They toiled to bring medals for the country.

This article is dedicated to them.