Beti Bachao: From PT Usha to PV Sindhu, 10 Indian Daughters who scaled lofty heights in Sports field

Violence against women has become a prominent topic of discussion in India in recent years. Girls in India still face an indefinite number of problems in the society, struggling day in and day out to overcome all the obstacles that come in the way of their dreams. Some women still finding themselves chained in homes and hostels after sundown.

Growing up as a woman in a world where women are often considered subordinate to men is tough. Yet, some Indian daughters have found their ways out in bringing laurels to the country in all the fields – be it education, economic activities, social spheres or in sports - they are scaling new heights.

Crimes against women have more than doubled over the past 10 years, according to the latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

The semantic meaning of ‘crime against women’ is direct or indirect physical or mental cruelty to women. Crimes directed specifically against women and in which only women are victims are characterised as ‘crimes against women’. Sexual harassment and child abuse is definitely a cause for concern in India.

Yet there are Indian Daughters who have left everything aside and has become Inspiration for others.

Check out 10 Indian Daughters from the field of sports who  have made Country Proud:

# PV Sindhu 

- PV Sindhu created history by winning the Silver medal at the BWF World Championships.

- Sindhu also holds the record of being the first Indian to make it to the finals of a badminton event at Olympics.

- Sindhu settled for silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

- India's first ever Silver medalist in badminton at the Olympics.

# Mary Kom

- Chungneijang Mery Kom Hmangte popularly known as Mary Kom is a 5-time World Amateur Boxing Champion. 

- She is also one of the only women boxing champion to have gotten a medal for each of the six championships.

# Saina Nehwal

- First Indian to win the World Junior Badminton Championships

- Also, first Indian to win a Super Series tournament

- First Indian woman to receive a medal in the Olympics for Badminton

- She has been ranked no.1 in the world by Badminton World Federation Women's Singles 2015

# Dipa Karmakar 

- First woman gymnast from India to qualify for the Olympics. 

- Karmakar received a final score of 15.066 for executing one of the most dangerous feats in gymnastics, the Produnova vault.

# Mithali Raj

- She broke a few record in the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup.

-She first broke the record of most consecutive 50-plus scores in one-day internationals.

- She broke the world record for most runs in ODIs for women a

- She became the first woman in ODIs to score 6,000 runs.

# Sania Mirza

- She is the number one tennis star in the Doubles category.

- Sania has won three Grand Slam women’s doubles titles and three Grand Slam mixed doubles titles a

- She was appointed as the UN Women’s Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia.

# PT Usha

- PT Usha, known as the “Payyoli Express” is one of the greatest athletes who represented India in the Olympics

- Her fourth position in 400 meters hurdles in 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, is by far the closest to an Olympic medal on the tracks by an Indian female athlete.

-At the age of 16, she became the youngest Indian sprinter to compete in the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

# Geeta Phogat

- A female wrestler from India who won India's first ever gold medal in women's wrestling in the 55kg freestyle category at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

- She won gold in the 2009 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship.

- Was qualified for the 2012 London Olympics but luck was not in her favour.

- Phogat won a gold medal in the Wrestling FILA Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament that concluded at Almaty, Kazakhstan in April 2012.

# Nameirakpam Kunjarani Devi 

- Kunjarani Devi broke two National Records in Trivandrum in 1987

- She won three silver medals at the World Women's Weightlifting Championship in Manchester in 1989.

- She also secured bronze medals at the Beijing Asian Games in 1990

- She added bronze medals at the Hiroshima Asian Games in 1994. 

# Anjali Bhagwat

- Anjali Vedpathak Bhagwat is the first Indian to win 2002 International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) Champion of Championship

- In 2002 she won four gold medals (in the solo and pair events of both the 10-metre air rifle and 50-metre three-position-rifle disciplines) at the Commonwealth Games

- She also won silver medals as part of the Indian women’s team at both the ISSF World Cup and Asian Games.