From the beginning with 0 female athletes at the Summer Olympic Games in 1976, India has made massive headway in the Sports field. It is only a matter of time before India solidifies itself as a Sporting powerhouse. And also, India will have its highest female delegation at the Tokyo Olympics, featuring 56 Athletes:
- Archery- 1
- Athletics- 9
- Badminton- 1
- Boxing- 4
- Fencing- 1
- Golf- 1
- Gymnastics- 1
- Hockey- 19
- Judo- 1
- Sailing- 1
- Shooting- 7
- Swimming- 1
- Table Tennis- 2
- Tennis- 2
- Weightlifting- 1
- Wrestling- 4
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Women Power In Tokyo Olympics
Let’s dive into the Indian women’s participation in the Tokyo Olympics.
Chanu Saikhom Mirabai: Weightlifting
Mirabai Chanu earned India’s first medal at the Tokyo Olympics. She was India’s sole delegate at Weightlifting during the Summer Olympic Games. The talented Indian weightlifter is ranked second in the 49 kg category.
Priya Malik: Wrestling
Wrestler Priya Malik has just brought the nation proud at an International level after she succeeded to win gold at the World Wrestling Championship that was held in Hungary.
Deepika Kumari: Archery
Deepika Kumari is one of the top competitors to achieve a medal for India at the Tokyo Olympics. The Indian archer has often failed at big events, as she manages to dissolve under pressure.
Yet, Deepika Kumari has refined tremendously in the past few years and clenches the World’s Number 1 ranking in Women’s Recurve Archery. She also won a Triple gold medal at the recent World Cup in Paris.
PV Sindhu: Badminton
PV Sindhu won a Silver medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016. The Indian shuttler enters the Olympics as one of the prime champions. She has attained a huge amount of victory in the sport, having earned 5 World Championship medals. She eventually gained a Final in 2019 after contending for the World Championship title.
Mary Kom: Boxing
Mary Kom will strive at her last Olympic Games, and it is her last chance to claim the much-awaited gold medal. Mary Kom gave rise to the nation’s pride in 2012 when she won the Bronze medal at the London Olympics.
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Rahi Sarnobat & Elavenil Valarivan: Shooting
India fields a strong shooting delegation at the Tokyo Olympics. Rahi Sarnobat reaped a gold medal in the Women’s 25 m pistol at the recent World Cup.
Moreover, Elavenil Valarivan, the World Number 1 in the Women’s Air 10 m Air Rifle category, is also anticipated to earn a medal in shooting in the Tokyo Olympics.
Vinesh Phogat: Wrestling
Vinesh Phogat contended a Gold medal in the Asian Championships recently and can imitate the same in Tokyo. The Indian wrestler is a Commonwealth Games gold medalist two times.
Nethra Kumanan: Sailing
Nethra Kumanan marked history as she served as the first Indian female sailor at the Olympic Games. The Indian sailor earned a World Cup Medal in Sailing, and she ensured a spot for Tokyo through the Asia Olympic Qualifying event.
Bhavani Devi: Fencing
Bhavani Devi became the first Indian athlete ever eligible for Fencing at the Summer Olympic Games. The 27-year-old will contend in the saber event, having recently won two Asian Championships medals.
She is placed 42nd globally, and it is a glorious moment for the country to have a delegation in a sport not renowned in India.
Pranati Nayak: Gymnastics
Pranati Nayak is the only Indian gymnast at Tokyo Olympics, as she contends in the Women’s artistic event. She received a bronze medal at the Asian Championships in 2019, and she trained for the Tokyo Olympics after the revocation of the 2021 Asian Championships.
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Sushila Devi: Judo
She will be India’s sole player in Judo at Tokyo Olympics. She qualified for the Olympics after achieving a continental quota. She participates in the 48 kg category and has a global ranking of 46.
Her major accomplishments comprise a silver medal at Commonwealth Games 2014 and two Asian Open Championships.
Image courtesy: Republic World
Udisha Srivastav is a Freelance Content Writer with Femsay.com