With the largest ever women's contingent sent to the Olympic Games by India this year, we can proudly say that the Tokyo Olympics was all about woman power. With limited resources, training, and a society that discourages women from participating in sports, these are incredible accomplishments by our women athletes at Tokyo Olympics.
Indian Women’s Hockey team has displayed amazing sportsmanship and strength. But this isn't the first time the Indian women's contingent has left us speechless during the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Mirabhai Chanu, PV Sindhu, and Lovlina Borgohain have already done the country proud by returning medals in weightlifting, badminton, and boxing, respectively.
Weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu made history by lifting 202 kg to win India's first silver medal in the women's 49 kg weightlifting competition at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics. She is the second woman to win a weightlifting medal, following KarnamMalleshwari in 2000.
Chanu's return from Tokyo with a silver medal earned her and the ASP office INR 1 crore from the Manipur government. It also earned her now-trainer, Vijay Sharma, a national weightlifting chief coach and Dronacharya awardee, a promotion at the Northern Railways. Reports of her biopic, which has already been announced in Manipur, are making the rounds in the media.
Her previous accomplishments include a bronze medal at the 2020 Tashkent Asian Championship, a gold medal at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, a gold medal at the 2017 Anaheim World Championships, and a silver medal at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Not to mention Rajiv Gandhi's KhelRatna and Padma Shri, both of which he received in 2018.
Lovlina Borgohain, 23-year-old boxer from Assam is the second in line to win an Olympic medal. She won bronze for her country after defeating Taiwan's Nien Chin-Chen in the quarterfinals of the Women's Welterweight (64-69 kg) category. She did, however, lose in the semifinals to Turkey's BusenazSurmeneli, but she did manage to increase India's medal count this year.
It has been a struggle for her since the beginning. Prashant Das, a Muay Thai coach, has been her coach since she was ten years old. She had Muay Thai training. Then she went to Golaghat for a SAI (Sports Authority of India) boxing trial. Shri Padum Boro picked her up there.
Her list of accomplishments includes two bronze medals at the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships in 2018 and 2019, as well as the Arjuna Award. She defeated Uzbekistan's Maftunakhon Melieva in the 2020 Asia & Oceania Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament to earn a spot in the Tokyo Olympics. Sandhya Gurung of Sikkim is the woman who trained Borgohain and assisted her in achieving some of her objectives.
P V Sindhu has written the history books! Sindhu was at her best after a disappointing loss to World No. 1 Tai Tzu Ying in the women's singles semi-final, outclassing He Bingiao and winning the women's singles bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Sindhu is only the second Indian after Sushil Kumar to have won two individual Olympic medals. She is the country's first female athlete to do so. Sindhu is also only the fourth women's singles player in history to win back-to-back Olympic medals.
Sindhu became only the second Indian athlete (and third to confirm) to win a medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, following MirabaiChanu. Sindhu won silver in the women's singles badminton event at the Rio Olympics, where she also made her Games debut. Sindhu had come agonisingly close to winning the gold medal when she lost the title match to Spain's Carolina Marin five years ago, despite winning the first game.
PullelaGopichand's performance at the 2001 All England Open Badminton Championship inspired her to pursue the sport, and she later joined the Gopichand Badminton Academy.
When Aditi Ashok, Golfer of India boarded the plane to Tokyo to compete in the women's individual stroke play event at the Olympic Games, not many in India pinned much hope on her. But with her extraordinary performance she gained the tremendous support of the entire nation.
She was also surprised by the support she received in her country with #AditiAshok becoming the top trend on Twitter.
The golfer from Bangalore, who finished 41st in the Rio Olympics as an 18-year-old, was ranked 200 in the world and would be competing against the who's who of women's golf.
Aditi is the first Indian to win a title on the Ladies European Tour, and her performances on the professional circuit have already garnered a lot of attention. She is also a member of the LPGA Tour, making her the first Indian to do so. She's used to the pressure that comes with playing the game. She did, however, cry when she realised she had missed out on a medal in Tokyo.
She is, however, taking a lot of positives from her fourth-place finish. She has already risen 46 places in the world rankings, to 154, as a result of her performance in Tokyo.
CA Bhavani Devi became India's first-ever Olympic fencer when she won her first game at the Tokyo Olympics, but her journey in her first Olympic games was cut short when she lost her next game to the world number three and bowed out of the tournament.
On her Olympic debut, Indian fencer Bhavani Devi put on an inspired performance before bowing out in the second round of the women's individual sabre at Tokyo 2020.
Nonetheless, it was a historic day for India as they made their Olympic debut in fencing, a sport that has been featured at the Summer Games since 1896. Up against world No. 3 and Rio Olympian Manon Brunet of France, Bhavani Devi was forced to play catch-up as the former world championships silver medalist advanced to the Round of 16 at the Makuhari Messe Hall with a 15-7 win.
Kamalpreet Kaur of India may have finished sixth at the Tokyo Olympics, but she has won many hearts, particularly that of her idol SeemaPunia. Her best throw was 63.70 metres.
In her Olympic debut, she fought her way back into the top 8 and made history by reaching the top 6. Her final throw was close to the 65-meter mark, but her efforts were for naught because the discus landed outside the permitted area.
