India's sportswomen are breaking barriers and making history

Ever since Team India lifted the Women’s Cricket World Cup, the entire nation has been roaring with pride. It made one thing abundantly clear: it isn’t just a victory for cricket; it’s a triumph for every woman who has ever fought to be seen, and heard in Indian sport. For generations, Indian sportswomen have battled societal expectations, and systemic bias. Today, they’re rewriting the rules. From weightlifting and badminton to cricket and swimming, HELLO! India looks at how Indian women are not just participating anymore; they’re inspiring a new era of sporting excellence.

Breaking stereotypes 

Indian sport has largely been thought of as a man’s arena, with women being relegated to the sidelines. In 2000, Karnam Malleswari became India’s first female Olympic medalist in weightlifting, showing an entire generation that strength has no gender. Her success opened doors for countless women who dared to dream. Then came PV Sindhu, who was the first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals in badminton. Hima Das, who is fondly called the 'Dhing Express,' won gold for the 400m race at the World U20 Championships; a turning point for Indian athletics. Avani Lekhara was the first Indian woman to clinch a Paralympic gold in shooting, inspiring thousands of young athletes with disabilities across the country.

Making waves in swimming

Divya and Devanshi Satija are bringing swimming to the forefront, stroke by stroke. Devanshi is India’s youngest Paralympic medalist swimmer and has broken records for para-athletes in aquatics. Her sister, Divya Satija, dominates the national circuit in butterfly stroke. 

Women in Indian sport

In wrestling, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik have shown that Indian women can triumph too. Icons like Anju Bobby George, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, and Dutee Chand continue to inspire generations of girls to take the leap from playgrounds to podiums. Now, with Team India’s historic Women’s Cricket World Cup win, the movement comes full circle. Led by the likes of Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Deepti Sharma, their victory is a testament to years of persistence. This kind of visibility of women winning on tracks, pitches and fields is crucial because it's the reason why young girls across the country will lace up their shoes, pick up their bats and diving into pools with newfound confidence; because they finally have role models who look like them. 

The message is clear: Indian women in sport are claiming their place in history.

Text by: Divya Batra

Edited by: Dayle Pereira-Alemao

(Also Read: From Abhishek Bachchan to Kiara Advani, Bollywood celebs turned cheerleaders for India's women's cricket team)