Women Athletes bring glory to India
Women boxers and wrestlers are taking down every stereotype associated with them, one punch at a time. With rising fear of women security in India, these women in physical contact sports have given the country something to be proud of. Bringing international glory in various sporting events across the globe, the trend of participation and winning has shown an encouraging rise.
Starting from a clean slate which stayed empty for quite a while, the Indian women boxers and wrestlers have brought with them all the three precious metals – gold, silver and bronze. Wrestlers and boxers such as Geetika Jakhar, Vinesh, Sonika Kaliraman, Pinki Jagra and Mary Kom have created ripples in the sporting industry which has led people to sit up and take notice of the sports. Both the private and public players are interested to take this forward. The selection camps are held annually throughout the country.
Rising from rural areas, amid scarcity of proper training resources, most of these women train hard and get to represent their clubs and countries. This story chronicles the rise of women participation in physical contact sports. After a dismal start at the initial stages of women physical contact sports, through the years, the medals have gone up significantly.
Here's a low-down share of gold, silver and bronze since the last five editions of Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Olympics.
Women wrestling in India has seen a lot of action in recent times. The number of women participants in wrestling events, both national and international, has increased through the years owing to favorable government policies, an encouraging environment at home, financial incentives and a grown interest in media.
The last decade is itself a case study as to how the number of women participating in wrestling has increased gradually, though with minor hiccups. In 2001, India had just 11 women participants. There was no medal at any of the major international tournaments.
In 2002, the total participation increased to 21 women wrestlers, with 3 women - Kamini Yadav, Alka Tomar and Gursharan Preet Kaur - representing India at the Asian Games. The number touched an all-time high of 53 women wrestlers participating in various wrestling events, in the year 2012. 5 women wrestlers represented India at the Olympics. In 2013, the figure stands at a decent participation of 43 women.
The upward graph of participation denotes a positive trend of women breaking stereotypes and treading on territories usually associated with men. Accolades and awards have followed the rise in international representation. The number of Golds, Silvers and Bronzes has been getting better through the years, bringing more attention to the sport and eventually encouraging more people towards the sport.
