Squash is not a sport that gets much recognition in India. But around the world it is a popular game. While in our country it may not have the same impact, there are players who have done India proud on the big stage. One such name is Dipika Pallikal Karthik.
Dipika was born with sports in her genes. Her mother Susan Pallikal played international cricket for India. No doubt sports was calling to her from an early age and she took up squash pretty early on in life as well. In 2006 she became a professional and while she struggled in her initial years, but by 2011 she was winning consistently.
A bronze at the 2010 Asian Games started things off for her and from then on there was no looking back. 2014 saw her shine again in Asiad with a silver and a bronze. But the icing on the cake was when she clinched gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. She followed it up in 2018 with two Commonwealth Games silver medals along with a bronze at the Asian Games. She also won silver at the Asian Individual Championships in 2017.?
Some of her famous wins at international level are the Orange County Open, Dread Sports Series, Crocodile Challenge Cup, Meadowood Pharmacy Open, Macau Squash Open and Winnipeg Winter Club Open.?
Dipika is not afraid to take a stand either. She did not take part in the National Championship Squash between 2012 and 2015 due to inequality of prize money. When equal prize money did happen in 2016, she won the title. For her contribution to the sport she received the Arjuna Award in 2012 and Padma Shri in 2014.?
She is married to Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik. So sports continues to run in the family.?
Dipika continues to shine on the court. While the sport struggles to gain popularity in the country, she is making us proud on the world stage to fight for the cause. ???