Sunday 27 March 2016

Icons in the Making: 6 Female Players You Should Know About


Over the years, the patriarchal society in India has undergone a sea change where women have come to the forefront of the sports arena in full swing shattering the gender stereotypes. Lately, more and more women have bagged laurels and have brought immense glory to the nation. Most of them are young, brilliantly skilled and in-the-making to leave an indelible mark in the varied fields of sports right from boxing, cricket, shooting and even wrestling.   


A new league of upcoming talented women is all set to contribute to the rich history of Indian sports. Here a list of 6 Indian women players who soon would take the center stage, reports Youngisthan.


Ankita Raina




At the tender age of 22, this Ahmedabad-born tennis player made it to the headlines when she ranked 222 on the world Tennis singles list. Her career took off in 2009 when she became the first Indian woman to win an ITF $25000 title. She has also won the same title worldwide. She grabbed the spotlight with one of the major singles victory in New Delhi in 2012 and since then she has been a promising player.

Rani Rampal




The nation was taken aback when a cart-puller's daughter became one of the topmost hockey stars in India. This 21 year old goal-scoring machine held the hockey stick when she was just 7 years old. Since then she soon found a place in the national team and also emerged as the leading scorers in the Hockey World League Round One in 2009. The women forward has finally led her team to the Rio Olympics where Indian team has qualified after 36 long years. With players like her, women hockey is sure to take the center stage soon.


Apurvi Chandela




Indian shooting arena reached its pinnacle when Abhinav Bindra bagged the first ever individual gold medal in Olympics. The event inspired many to achieve the same status in shooting. Apurvi Chandela is one of them. Her journey to international fame earned recognition at the 2014 Commonwealth Games where she won a gold medal. Winning a bronze in the ISSF World Cup 2015, Chandela secured a quota in the upcoming Olympics. She recently broke the 10m Air Rifle world record too.

Akansha Vora




Vora made her way to Rio by winning 5 gold and 1 silver medals at the 2015 National Games that earned her the title of India’s top female swimmer.  Her tryst with the sport began when she was too young and today is all set to prove her mettle in the 2016 Rio Olympics qualifiers.


Khumukcham Sanjita Chanu




It was an overwhelming moment for India when Khumukcham Sanjita Chanu won a gold medal in women’s 48kg weightlifting on the 20th Commonwealth Games. The future of weightlifting in India looks promising for the hard work of players like her.

Vinesh Phogat





Breaking the gender barrier this power-puff girl shone with her immense talent in the male dominated sport of wrestling. Carrying forward her family legacy, Vinesh Phogat won a gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Glasgow. Given her roots attached to sport, the nation is hopeful of more success in the future from her end.