Rio Olympics has ended, the contingents have landed home and the celebrations have certainly begun. This year was a year for women power, with stars like PV Sindhu, Sakshi Malik and Dipa Karmakar paving the way for an entire generation to set Olympic goals. We congratulate these women on their achievements and the glory that they’ve brought home.
PV Sindhu
PV Sindhu, a name that has now become an entire country’s pride has not just won silver at the Olympics but has won all our hearts. The country cheered for her when she won the quarter finals and was officially a top 4 contender. After defeating Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara in a nail biting semi finals, the nation gasped as she guaranteed a medal. At the finals, Sindhu faced World No 1, Carolina Marin in another gripping match which earned us the silver.JFW recognized the champ in this 21-year old badminton player and awarded her ‘Excellence in Sports’ at the JFW Awards 2014. With this, PV Sindhu becomes the first Indian woman to win an Olympic silver medal.
Sakshi Malik
Sakshi Malik was our lady luck at the Rio Olympics this year who brought India its first medal. She is the first Indian woman wrestler to win a bronze medal at the Olympics. In her match against Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan, Malik fought to beat the opponent and clinch the first medal for India. It’s highly commendable that this young girl who hails from Rohtak, Haryana has fought, breaking stereotypes along her way. She has broken societal norms and has defined the spirit of today’s strong-willed women who can definitely get what they want if they set their hearts and minds to it.
Dipa Karmakar
India’s only women gymnast, Dipa Karmakar is a legacy that India will forever be proud of. She finished 4th at the Vaults final at the Gymnastics event at Rio Olympics 2016. Dipa is determined to win India a medal at the next Olympics in Tokyo 2020. During the vault finals, Dipa missed an opportunity to win by 0.15 points. In spite of the defeat, she believes that in the next 10-15 years, India will have an entire gymnastics team at the Olympics. She has brought the country immense pride being the first ever Indian woman to participate in an Olympic gymnastic event.