2015 - The year of the Women in Indian Sports

No longer in the shadow of their male counterparts, the girl brigade emerged as a force to reckon with this year, and grabbed some of the biggest headlines. In a country where female foeticide still looms large, these women, through their myriad accomplishments, undoubtedly brought about a change in the Indian society’s perception of women in sports.

The Chinese shuttlers had an iron grip over the numero uno ranking since December 2010. And it took an Indian woman to end that staggering 52-month stranglehold and she was none other than Saina Nehwal.

But Saina changed all that this season. Leaving the Gopichand Badminton Academy, she joined forces with Vimal Kumar in Bangalore towards the end of 2014. The new partnership culminated in a historic moment for Indian sports. On April 2, 2015, Nehwal reached the pinnacle of the world rankings and became the first Indian woman shuttler to ever scale the summit.

Her exploits also included silver medals at the All-England Open and the World Championships for the first time, besides winning the India Open Superseries.

She came, she saw, she conquered – Sania Mirza was unstoppable in her all-conquering year! The Indian tennis star had her annus mirabilis in 2015 which saw her attain the doubles World No. 1 ranking and capture an incredible 10 titles.

Nine of those triumphs came in tandem with the five-time Grand Slam champion Martina Hingis, with whom she teamed up in March. The pairing worked like a dream as they perfectly complemented each other, and the Mirza-Hingis juggernaut rolled on, flattening every opposition on their way to title glory at the Wimbledon, the US Open and the WTA Finals among others.

3. Deborah Herold

The devastating tsunami of 2004 battered the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, but it could not quell the fighting spirit of one of its residents – Deborah Herold. Rather it only emboldened her and made her well-prepared for the battles ahead.

The stellar form catapulted her to the No. 4 spot in the world rankings – a first-time ever for an Indian woman cyclist. Needless to say, her success is bringing countless fans to the sport that is still considered as a recreation, rather than a profession, in India.

4. Joshna Chinappa

The Chennai girl returned to the sport fitter than ever, hungry to climb the higher echelons of the sport. She bore the fruits of her perseverance in 2015 – a year which saw her put up fearless performances against the top players of the world and notch up two titles.

The highlight of her 2015 season was the knockout blow she delivered against the World No. 1 Raneem El Welily at the Qatar Classic. It was Joshna’s first-ever win against a top-5 player. Quite deservedly, the 14-time national champion’s exploits took her to her best-ever career ranking of 13 in December, making her the current highest-ranked Indian player.

Indian sports had another momentous feat when the women’s hockey team qualified for the Olympics for the first time since 1980. Despite repeated setbacks, the girls rose like a phoenix to secure their appearance at the mega quadrennial Games, after a long gap of 36 years.

The hunt for that elusive berth was fraught with drama as India had to depend on the results of the EuroHockey Championships, after having finished fifth at the Hockey World League (HWL) Semi-Finals. With England and the Netherlands – both of whom had already bagged a Rio place – advancing to the summit clash of the continental qualifiers, the coveted Olympic berth was awarded to India, who were the highest-ranked team, among those who were yet to qualify for the Olympics, at the HWL Semi-finals.

Apart from these go-getters, there were many others who kept the Indian Tricolour flying high at major international meets. Aditi Chauhan made the nation proud when she became the first woman from the country to be signed up by a top English club – West Ham United’s ladies team. Archer Deepika Kumari returned to form and helped the women’s recurve team secure a Rio Olympic quota, while gymnast Dipa Karmakar rewrote record books as the first Indian to qualify for the finals of World Championships.

In shooting, Apurvi Chandela was the standout performer, who ensured her Rio appearance through a bronze medal at the Changwon World Cup. Lalita Babar did the same in athletics in her milestone year, as she grabbed Rio tickets in steeplechase and marathon and also featured in a World Championship final.

Sprinter Dutee Chand deserves a special mention because she won a far bigger battle. In 2014, the prodigious talent saw her Commonwealth Games dreams getting crushed when she was tested for hyperandrogenism. The audacious Chand refused to give up and her unwavering determination was rewarded this year when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) gave her the green signal to compete again.

It was a landmark judgment as the CAS suspended the IAAF’s rules which bar women with high levels of testosterone from competing. No doubt it was a red letter day for the world of athletics.

Most importantly, this grand success of Indian sportswomen will further help to alter the middle class mindset and we will see an influx of girls in the world of sports.  And that is probably one of the biggest signs of a nation’s progress.