There once was a time when women were not taken seriously as sportswomen. But since when has the world’s patriarchal view stopped women from achieving greatness? Sports women across the world have proved their mettle time and again at various sports. Indian women have been no different and the country has been home to some of the most prolific sports women. With time Indian sports women have been proving their mettle at international sporting events as well.
2022 was a year full of ups and downs but when it came to the world of sports 2022 remained a significant year. The year was also significant for women in sports. Indian sportswomen excelled at varied sports and gave the nation various moments to feel immense pride.
With some incredible titles and impressive wins to their credit, these Indian sportswomen listed below have made us proud in several events. Here’s looking at some of the most powerful sporting moments from women’s performance in sports through 2022.
Indian Women Hockey Team Winning the FIH Nation’s Cup
While the world was caught up in the frenzy of FIFA world cup finals between France and Argentina, the Indian women Hockey quietly secured a much coveted in. the team which was led by Captain SavitaPunia beat Spain 1-0 in the final to emerge victorious at the inaugural FIH Nations Cup held in Valencia, Spain.
India ended the tournament by being undefeated across all five matches. The prolific team earlier beat Chile, Japan and South Africa in the group stage. The team then registered an exhilarating win over Ireland in the semifinals.
The crowning glory however was the team entering in style grooving to Bravo’s song ‘Champion’ and rightfully so.
MirabaiChanu Set Commonwealth Games Record by Winning Gold in Women’s 49 kg Category
Indian weightlifter MirabaiChanu won the first Gold Medal for the country at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in the Women's 49kg weightlifting category. She created a Commonwealth Games record in the process.
The star weightlifter forayed into the competition in the 49kg category after all the other participants had finished their respective Snatch and Clean & Jerk lifts. She collected a total of 201kg (88kg+113kg) to make her mark in the competition.Mirabai’s true competition was with herself. Her best Snatch, which weighed 88 kg, outweighed the next-best by 12 kg. In terms of C&J, her greatest lift of 113 kg was 16 kgs more than the next best.
ManishaKalyan became first Indian Player to Compete in UEFA Women's Champions League
ManishaKalyan is the first Indian player to compete in the UEFA Women's Champions League. She was recently named the 2021–22 AIFF Woman Footballer of the Year. When the 20-year-old signed a multi-year contract with Cypriot first division champion Apollon Ladies, she became the fourth Indian female football player to play for an abroad team.
ManishaKalyan plays for both the India women's national team and Cypriot First Division club Apollon. She was chosen to compete at the 2018 BRICS U-17 Football Cup as a member of the India Under-17 National Squad. At the age of 17, Manisha received a call-up to the senior team for the match against Hong Kong in January 2019. On October 2, 2021, she opened the score sheet for India's 4-1 victory over UAE by scoring her senior debut goal. She made history on November 26, 2021 when she scored a goal against Brazil.
Indian Women Win their First-Ever Medal at the 44th Chess Olympiad
India's women's team made history at 44th Chess Olympiad by taking home the nation's first-ever medal in the women's division. Koneru Humpy, R Vaishali, Tania Sachdev, Bhakti Kulkarni, and Tania Praggnanandhaa won the bronze medal. India B team gave the nation its second bronze medal by beating Germany 3-1. The team impressed everyone with their outstanding performances throughout the competition. Seven Indian athletes won medals for their individual efforts, including two gold, one silver, and four bronze. India has previously won the bronze medal in the open division of the Olympics in 2014.
India Wins the First-Ever Women's Four-Lawn Bowling Gold Medal
The team of Lovely Choubey, Rupa Rani Tirkey, Pinki, and NayanmoniSaikia made history by winning the nation's first-ever medal (Gold) in the sport of Lawn Bowls. They defeated South Africa 17-10 in the championship match at Victoria Park.
After the four women won the Gold for India. Many well-known people expressed their congratulations to the players for their historic accomplishments on Twitter.
Dr. Sonia Kanwar Became first Indian female boxing official to clear IBA 3 star referee & judge examination
Dr. Sonia KanwarJarial is the first female boxing official in India to clear the IBA 3 star referee and judge examination. The 44-year-old passed the examination in Maribor, Slovenia. She is now qualified to officiate in both the Olympics and world championships. Before choosing boxing, she won the All India Inter-University Judo Championship for three straight years. Dr. Sonia has officiated in numerous national competitions, the Indian team's trials for the CWG and Asian Games, as well as the 2008 Asian Women's Championships.
She has presided over international fights involving Mary Kom, a six-time world champion and bronze medalist from the 2012 London Olympics. Dr Sonia recently served as an official at the Khelo India Youth Games.
ManikaBatra becomes first female Indian towin a medal in Table Tennis' Asian Cup
ManikaBatra is the first female Indian paddler to take home a medal in table tennis' Asian Cup. She defeated HinaHayata, the sixth-ranked player in the world and three-time Asian champion. She advanced to the bronze medal match earlier in the day after losing to Mma Ito in the semi-finals, when she stole the show and made history.
The President wrote, “Congratulations to ManikaBatra for scripting sports history by becoming the first Indian woman table tennis player to win a medal in the Asian Cup. She defeated top-ranking players in the tournament. This win will inspire our youth, especially girls, to emulate her excellence."
