Despite facing numerous challenges, women in India continue to persevere and overcome obstacles every day. In a country where the birth of a girl child is viewed with sadness, achieving one's goals as a woman can often feel like swimming against the current. However, there are many strong and determined women who have proven that anything is possible with the right mindset and willpower. Sports have provided a platform for these women to showcase their talents and inspire others. As we celebrate International Women's Day 2024, we honour 10 Indian sportswomen who serve as shining examples of courage, determination, and inspiration for all of us to change the world.

10 Indian Sportswomen Who Will Inspire You to Change The World

#1 PT Usha: Athletics

The queen of Indian track and field, PT Usha has inspired generations of Indian women to take up the sport. Born in the village of Kuttali in Kerala, PT Usha studied in nearby Payyoli – which later gave rise to her nickname 'The Payyoli Express' – and her natural talent was discovered when she was nine.

She was the first Indian woman to qualify for the finals of a track and field game in the Olympics. If it was not for a false start, she could have the bronze in the 400-meter hurdles in the 1984 Olympic games. PT Usha finished her career with 23 medals in all, 14 of which were gold.

Read PT USha's full story here.

Also Read: Aprilia Manganang: A female player who turned out to be a man

#2 Bachendri Pal: Mountaineer

Bachendri Pal is one of the unknown Indian sportswomen who made the whole nation proud. She was the first Indian woman to climb the mount Everest in the year 1984. She is widely recognized for her pioneering role in planning, organising & leading pathbreaking expeditions for women.

Bachendri Pal now works as the Director of the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF). She was awarded with the third highest civilian award Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 2019. Her spirit to conquer anything impossible is an inspiring story to know.

Read her full story here.

#3 Jhulan Goswami- Cricket

Jhulan's outstanding performance in cricket has left a lasting impression in a country where male cricketers are more predominant. She is renowned for being one of the fastest bowlers ever seen in women's cricket, and she has broken several records. 

Her excellence was acknowledged when she was bestowed with the ICC Women's Player of the Year award in 2007, the Arjuna Award in 2010, and the Padma Shri Award in 2012. Jhulan is known for being the first female cricketer to take 200 ODI wickets, and she still holds the record for the highest wicket-taker in women's ODI cricket, with 255 ODI wickets.

View her full records at- https://www.bcci.tv/players/562/jhulan-goswami

#4 Sania Mirza: Tennis

Sania Mirza is a trailblazing Indian athlete who has inspired countless women to pursue tennis. Her unwavering motivation and off-court charisma have made her a role model for women throughout India. Despite facing significant societal backlash early in her career, Sania persisted and went on to become a six-time Grand Slam champion, world No. 1 in doubles, and three-time Olympian. Additionally, she holds the distinction of being the first Indian woman to win a WTA title. Sania's remarkable accomplishments have paved the way for unprecedented growth in Indian tennis.

Mirza came out of her retirement in 2020 and won the doubles title at the 2020 Hobart International and then led India to their first-ever Fed Cup playoffs. She finally called it a day after the Dubai Championships in February 2023.

Read her full story here.

#5 Hima Das: Track and Field

Nicknamed "Dhing Express", Hima Das is one of India's most inspiring track and field athletes. Coming from a family of farmers, Hima showed the world that nothing is impossible. At an early, she used to play football with the boys in her village. But, later found her path in sprinting. Hima is the first Indian sprinter to win a gold medal at an international track event. 

In her short career, she has made many national records. She has already won three Asian Games medals, two of them being Gold. Hima was awarded with Arjuna Award in 2018. She became India's fastest-ever female over the 400m distance when she clocked 50.79 seconds during her silver medal in the 2018 Asian Games.

#6 Saina Nehwal: Badminton

Saina was the first Indian female badminton player to win an Olympic medal. Her story to the glory is very inspiring. At her birth, Saina's grandmother was not very happy with the birth of a girl child. However, it was her father and her winning spirit that made her the first and still the only Indian female badminton player to rank no.1 in the world on 2 April 2015. She is also the first Indian to win gold medals in two Commonwealth Games in 2010 and 2018.

Along with that, Saina was the first Indian badminton player to have won an Olympic medal when she won the bronze medal in the 2012 London Olympics. She was also the first Indian to win a Super Series title.

Saina's life story was seen in a Hindi movie called "Saina" featuring Parineeti Chopra in and as Sania.

#7 Marry Kom: Boxing

Mary Kom, an exceptional athlete from an impoverished area of India, took up boxing after convincing a local coach to train her. She has achieved an incredible feat of winning medals at all eight AIBA World Boxing Championships, reaching the pinnacle of her career as the world No.1 in the AIBA world rankings for flyweight. Her bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games marked India's first-ever Olympic medal in women's boxing.

Mary Kom has also been the first Indian woman to secure a gold medal at both the Asian and Commonwealth Games, as well as a five-time Asian champion. She is a true trailblazer, balancing her fighting career with motherhood and running a sports club in her hometown of Manipur. Her incredible achievements have led to her appointment as a member of the Indian Upper House of Parliament.

#8 Dutee Chand: Track and field

Dutee Chand is an inspiration for Indian athletics, having represented her country twice at the Olympics and holding the national record for the 100m event. She broke barriers by becoming the first openly gay athlete from India and the first Indian to win gold in a 100m event at a global meet.

Despite facing significant hardships in her life, including the hyperandrogenism controversy and coming out gay in a conservative society, Dutee has shown remarkable resilience and determination. Her achievements include winning two silver medals at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and a gold medal at the 2019 Summer Universiade in Napoli. She was only the fifth Indian to participate in the women's 100 meters at the Olympics when she qualified for the 2016 Rio Games.

"There is nothing to fear about being in love."

Dutee on being in a same-sex relationship and being open about it.

#9 Geeta Phogat- Wrestling

Geeta Phogat's incredible achievements have inspired countless female athletes in India to pursue their dreams and excel in the sport of wrestling. She made history at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to win gold, and continued to break barriers by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to qualify for the Olympics in 2012.

Geeta's remarkable journey has been immortalized in the Hindi movie "Dangal", serving as a testament to what can be achieved through hard work, dedication, and perseverance.

#10 Bala Devi- Football

Women's football in India might not be as popular as other sports, but that didn't stop Bala Devi from making a name for herself and Indian women's football on the global stage. Bala Devi's exceptional record of scoring 52 goals in just 64 international games is a testament to her determination and skill.

In 2020, she made history by becoming the first Indian female football player to sign a professional contract with an overseas football club, Rangers FC in Scotland. She even became the first Indian female footballer to score in a European professional football league. Bala's achievements serve as an inspiration for aspiring female football players in India and South Asia.

This was tough to list out only 10 inspiring Indian sportswomen from hundreds of them. However, we would love to hear from you about who is your favorite female athlete in India. Let us know in the comment box.

Happy International Women's Day to everyone.

Note: The article was written in 2021 and then got updated with time by the author with some current data, without changing any names of athletes on this list.

In a country where sports is often dominated by men, some Olympic stars chose to challenge the ordinary and pave a path for Indian sports women. Indian sport has seen a massive rise in the number of it's female athletes shining at the world stage since the turn of the millennium.

In this article, we will take a look at those Indian female Olympians who made Olympic history.

Also Read: Most medals by an Indian in a single Olympics

Indian Women Who Made Olympic History

1. Karnam Malleswari

Weightlifter Karnam Malleswari created history and became the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Olympics. During the Sydney 2000 Games, Karnam Malleswari lifted 110kg in the snatch and 130kg in the clean and jerk categories for a total of 240kg and finished the competition with a bronze medal. She is also the first Indian weightlifter (male or female) to win an Olympic medal.

2. Saina Nehwal

Former world No.1 Saina Nehwal put Indian badminton on the global map when she finished with a bronze medal in the women’s singles at the London 2012 Olympics.

Saina Nehwal clinched the medal after her opponent Wang Xin of the People's Republic of China retired due to injury during the bronze medal playoff match. After this, Saina became the first Indian badminton player to win an Olympic medal and has represented the country in three Summer Games (Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016).

3. Mary Kom

Star boxer Mary Kom etched her name in Indian sports’ history books by clinching a bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympics. The Manipuri boxer beat Poland’s Karolina Michalczuk and Tunisia’s Maroua Rahali in the first two rounds but lost her semi-final bout to Great Britain's Nicola Adams, settling for the bronze medal.

It was the first Olympic medal in boxing by an Indian woman and only the second after Vijender Singh’s bronze at Beijing 2008. Women’s boxing made its Olympic debut at London 2012.

4. PV Sindhu

PV Sindhu built on what Saina Newhal had achieved at London 2012 and took Indian badminton a step further by reaching the women’s singles final at the Rio 2016 Games.

PV Sindhu lost the final to Spain’s Carolina Marin and finished with a silver medal after a hard-fought 83-minute title battle. Despite being the runner-up, PV Sindhu created history by becoming India's youngest individual Olympic medallist, a record which has since been surpassed. She also became the first Indian woman to bag an Olympic silver medal.

5. Sakshi Malik

Indian wrestler Sakshi Malik won a bronze medal in the women’s 58kg category at Rio 2016 to become the first Indian woman to win a medal in wrestling at the Olympics.

After notching up wins in the earlier rounds, Sakshi Malik lost to Valeria Koblova of Russia in the quarter-finals. However, with Koblova making the final, Sakshi Malik entered the repechage round and came home with the bronze medal following an 8–5 victory over Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan. Sakshi’s win at Rio was a memorable one as she turned the bout on its head despite trailing 5-0 at one stage.

6. Mirabai Chanu

After a disappointing outing at Rio 2016, weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, with a total lift of 202kg, won the silver medal in the 49kg category at Tokyo 2020. With the feat, Mirabai Chanu of Manipur became the first Indian weightlifter to bag a silver at the Olympics.

Mirabai Chanu also became the second Indian weightlifter, after Karnam Malleswari, to win a medal at the Summer Games as well as the second Indian woman, after PV Sindhu, to win a silver medal at the Olympics.

7. Lovlina Borgohain

Assamese boxer Lovlina Borgohain emulated the legendary Mary Kom by clinching a bronze medal at Tokyo 2020. Lovlina Borgohain defeated Germany’s Nadine Apetz in the round of 16 and outpunched Chinese Taipei’s Chen Nien-chin in the quarter-finals to secure herself a bronze medal.

However, Turkish world No. 1 Busenaz Surmeneli proved too strong for her in the semi-finals as the Indian finished with a bronze medal.

8. Sania Mirza

Inspired by stalwart Serena Williams, who returned to the tennis circuit after having a baby, Sania Mirza has begun to feel her way back into the sport as well. The Indian tennis ace gave birth to a boy late in 2018 and was on maternal duty ever since. But 2020 saw Sania Mirza return to the court.

Building form with every passing match, Sania Mirza made a fourth Olympic appearance at Tokyo 2020, where she made a first-round exit in the women’s doubles alongside Ankita Raina. Sania retired in 2023 as easily the best women's tennis player to emerge from India.

9. Dipa Karmakar

Dipa Karmakar, the shining star in Indian gymnastics, has made Olympic history by becoming the first Indian female gymnast to compete in the Olympic Games. She is among the only five women who have been able to master the Produnova vault. Her awe-inspiring performances and fearless spirit have inspired young gymnasts to aim for the stars.

10. Manu Bhaker

Manu Bhaker won India's first medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics with a bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol shooting event. She thus became India's first woman to win a medal in Olympic shooting. A day earlier, she had become the first Indian woman to qualify for an Olympic shooting final in 20 years.

Manu Bhaker scored 221.7 to finish third in the eight-woman final. Oh Ye Jin of the Republic of Korea clinched the gold medal with the new Olympic record of 243.2 and was followed by her compatriot Yeji Kim, who pipped Bhaker to enter the gold medal round and won the silver with the final score of 241.3.

Competing on the grandest stage of them all, the Olympic Games, is an aspiration for athletes worldwide. Earning a single medal by getting ahead of the best around the world is a massive deal. But not just one win, imagine multiple medals in a single edition of Olympics? That's an extraordinary achievement.

For a nation like India, despite centuries of sporting heritage, this monumental feat has only been achieved by two athletes. 

Get ready to delve into the stats for most medals by an Indian in a single Olympics.

Read Also: Olympic Facts: Most Consecutive Olympic Gold Medals

Norman Pritchard: India's first Olympic medalist and multi-medal pioneer

• Sport: Athletics
• Olympic Edition: 1900 Paris Olympics
• Medals Won: 2
• Event: Men's 200m sprint, Men's 200m hurdles

Hailing from Kolkata, West Bengal, Norman Pritchard was a British-Indian athlete who marked India's debut in the Olympic Games with huge success. He not only holds the record of being the first-ever Olympic medalist from India, but also one of the only 2 athletes to win multiple medals in a single Olympics.

At the 1900 Paris Olympics, Pritchard secured two silver medals in athletics (Men's 200m and Men's 200m hurdles), setting the bar high and inspiring the future generations. His multi-medal success was the only standing record for over a century.

Read Also: Olympic Facts: From Youngest to Oldest to most successful medalists and more

Manu Bhaker: A modern-day multi medallist, 124 years later

• Sport: Shooting
• Olympic Edition: 2024 Paris Olympics
• Medals Won: 2
• Event: Women's 10m air pistol, Mixed 10m air pistol team

More than a century after Pritchard's historic record, 2024 Paris Olympics witnessed another extraordinary individual brilliance from an young Indian athlete. Manu Bhaker, a professional shooter from Haryana, stunned everyone with her multi-medal feat.

Bhaker became the second Indian athlete to win multiple medals in a single Olympics with her 2 Bronze medals in shooting. She won the first one at an individual event (Women's 10m air pistol) and the second one alongside Sarabjot Singh in mixed 10m air pistol team.

Acknowledging the nuance regarding Pritchard's British roots and the ongoing debate about his nationality despite the IOC crediting India, Manu Bhaker is widely considered the first Indian athlete in the post-independence era to win most medals in a single Olympics.

Seven out of seven wins. Invincible Pune Warriors defeated all the odds to come out victorious in the Women's Maharashtra Premier League 2025. 

While other franchises had big names, such as Smriti Mandhana, Tejal Hasabnis, and Kiran Navgire, among many other stars of the women's game, Pune Warriors had a clear plan and strategy. 

With only prominent names in Anuja Patil and Shweta Mane, the Pune Warriors Women's team depended on clear thoughts, executions and camaraderie to win the league. Team analyst Gaanesh Tyagi shared all the secrets in an exclusive interview with Sportz Point.

Gaanesh is a high performance analyst from Mumbai, who has worked for more than 10 T20 franchise teams. He was also the analyst of the Mumbai Cricket team, which won their first ever Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament in 2023.

The team combination: All-rounders, effectiveness and youth

Even before stepping onto the field to win the tournament, teams must first succeed in a different battle during the draft or auction. This is where many teams secure half of their victory. Women’s cricket has different demands than men’s cricket, and in T20 cricket, the need for strong all-rounders reaches its peak. 

With captain Anuja Patil being the perfect all-rounder for the team, the coaching staff opted for additional all-rounders to effectively manage the middle overs. 

"The entire coaching staff and captain Anuja Patil were involved in building the team. We aimed to have more all-rounders while also featuring skilled individuals for every situation in the game,” Gaanesh explained to Sportz Point. 

Read Also: In a first, 10 UAE batters retire out in ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025

The roadmap and planning

During their initial meeting with the players, captain Anuja and the coaching staff discussed a comprehensive plan for winning the tournament. This provided every player with a clear roadmap and clarity on how they needed to prepare for each aspect of the game.

"In that first meeting, we talked about how we should be winning the tournament. Each player knew their role within the team, which helped provide a clear roadmap for everyone,” Gaanesh added.

Read Also: Exclusive: Bowls like Malinga, once doubted by her family, Nadia's Sonali Das is set for Bengal Pro T20 League dreams after 8-wicket haul in School Cricket

"Bowlers win you tournaments"

This phrase has become quite popular in world cricket. Even in the Indian Premier League, the team with the superior bowling combination often performs better. Analysts play a crucial role here by offering insights on optimal lengths, lines, speeds, and determining who should bowl at various stages of the game.

For Pune Warriors, prior to each match, analysts would provide each bowler with a specific plan to tackle all potential batters they might face.

"In women’s cricket, understanding lengths is crucial. Knowing what length to bowl against which batter is key. We had strategies for each opponent.

"So, it was all about execution on the field, which our bowlers accomplished successfully. That’s why we had two bowlers, Chinmayee Bhorpale (the Purple Cap winner) and Anuja Patil, in the top five highest wicket-takers list," Gaanesh stated. 

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Anuja Patil- the Boss Lady

When you have a young and relatively inexperienced team, it’s essential to have someone who can guide each player. Just as the Rajasthan Royals had Shane Warne, Pune Warriors had Anuja Patil. 

Anuja, who has played 50 T20Is for the Indian national team, possesses the knowledge necessary to win cricket matches. With her leadership, every young player learned how to approach each match to achieve victory.

"We affectionately called her the 'Boss Lady.'

The entire team respected and followed her decisions. In tournaments like this, a clear direction is crucial, and Anuja provided the guidance we needed with her experience."

Read Also: Bengal Women's Cricket Exclusive: Two out of two finals, record chase against Haryana, Jhulan Goswami, WPL and more

The Mix of Youth and Experience

Balancing the mix of youth and experience in team building can be challenging. Some players on the squad were born after Anuja and Shweta Mane began their cricket careers.

There was a noticeable gap in age and experience, so the team needed to blend these elements effectively to perform at their best.

Both Anuja and Mane acted as both friends and firm mentors, fostering a harmonious environment that brought out the best in young players like 17-year-old Akshaya Jadhav, 16-year-old Suhani Kahandal, and U-23 player Khushi Mulla, who ended up being the fourth-highest run-scorer of the tournament.

"Youth at the top and experince in the middle"

Although the powerplay and death overs seem to be entertaining, it is the middle overs that decide the winner in a T20 game. Be it with the bat or ball, the 7-15 overs of a T20I game are the most crucial overs.

That is why Pune Warriors had the plan of having the most experienced players playing the middle order, be it with the bat or ball. 

That even allowed youngsters like Khushi Mulla, Suhani Kahandal and Akshaya Jadhav to have the freedom to enjoy the game. 

"The middle overs control the outcome of the game. We even saw Smriti Mandhana batting in the middle order for Ratnagiri Jets. So, from the start of the tournament, we wanted to have experince in the middle overs and youth at the top," Gaanesh explained. 

"Discipline, calmness and execution"

Winning all seven of your games is a significant challenge, and in T20 cricket, it’s nearly impossible to maintain that momentum throughout.

However, according to Gaanesh, if the team maintains discipline, calmness, and focuses on execution, the chances of not losing become greater.

He recounted the last over of the final match against Solapur Smashers: “We needed to defend 9 from 6 and it became 4 from 4. But we kept calm under pressure and executed well to win the title.”

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What's next?

Whenever a team without many superstars win any tournament, there comes a question of whether they will be able to continue that in the next season. We have seen it with the Rajasthan Royals in the past as well.

Since winning the inaugural season, they have not been able to win any trophies. What's the secret sauce to keep winning? 

"Process," Gaanesh said. 

He feels all the youngsters who got a bit of fame and name from this season need to aim for bigger goals and achievements. This is how they will be able to keep them ready for next season. Most importantly, they need to focus on the process which has given them results.

Indian star opener Smriti Mandhana has regained the number one spot in the women's ICC ODI rankings for the first time since November 2019, according to the latest update released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday.

Also Read: ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 Full Schedule announced; India to face Pakistan on October 5

Mandhana surpassed Wolvaardt to claim top spot

The 28-year-old Mandhana has moved up one place to return to the top spot while South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt has slipped to joint second place with new England skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt after scoring 27 and 28 in the first two ODIs against the West Indies.

Mandhana now sits comfortably with 727 rating points after Wolvaardt held the top spot for over six months. The Indian star batsman has been in great form lately and scored the 11th century of her career, amassing 264 runs across five outings with a 52.80 averae and a strike rate of 90.41 during India's recent tri-series final against Sri Lanka and South Africa in Colombo.

Mandhana named ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year

The India vice-captain had a stellar run in ODIs in 2024, following which she was named as the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year, scoring more runs than she ever has before in a calendar year, racking up 747 runs in 13 innings. Mandhana is one of only four women to record at least 10 centuries, with her 4473 runs standing 10th on the all-time charts.

Mandhana’s rating points currently eight ahead of newly-appointed England skipper Natalie Sciver-Brunt at 719 points. Wolvaardt dropped to equal second alongside Sciver-Brunt, while fellow South African’s Tazmin Brits (up five spots to 27th) and Sune Luus (up seven places to 42nd) are among the big movers this week on the list for ODI batters.

Jemimah Rodrigues and captain Harmanpreet Kaur, being the only other Indian batters in the top 30, placed at 15th and 16th, respectively.

Women's ICC ODI Rankings

The schedule of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 has been released. The Women's World Cup will begin on September 30 with hosts India playing their first match against Sri Lanka at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Also Read: BCCI announce Indian women's squad for ODI and T20I series against England

The eight-team tournament will be a round-robin format with the top four teams advancing to the semi-finals. The much-awaited final will be played on November 2. Australia will begin their campaign against New Zealand on October 1 at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore.

India vs Pakistan Match details

Due to tension between India and Pakistan, Pakistan will play all its matches in Colombo, Sri Lanka under the hybrid hosting model agreed upon by BCCI and PCB. In such a situation, the teams playing with Pakistan including India will go to Colombo, which is a neutral venue.

The most awaited match of the group stage between India and Pakistan will be played on 5th October in Colombo.

Women's Cricket World Cup 2025: Venues

• India : Bengaluru, Guwahati, Indore, Visakhapatnam 
• Sri Lanka : Colombo

The tournament will be held at five major venues in the two countries. Bengaluru and Colombo have been shortlisted as potential hosts for the final.

Women's Cricket World Cup 2025: Full Schedule