The Success Of PV Sindhu & Sakshi Malik At Rio Shows Just What Female Athletes Sacrifice To Bring India Honour
With 119 athletes in the contingent for the Rio Games, India came into the 2016 Summer Olympics with wings of anticipation. Where many seasoned sportsmen had to live up to the billing of making it India's best-ever Olympics medal haul, nearly a fortnight later, it has been the female athletes from India who have ruled the roost and made Rio Games their own.
Reuters
From Dipa Karmakar's death-defying gymnastic moves, to Lalita Babar's historic track final, to bronze medallist Sakshi Malik's wrestle against all odds to PV Sindhu's chance to be the only Indian woman to win an Olympic gold - these feats have ensured that women are at the forefront to bring honour and pride to the country, at any cost.
AFP
As Sakshi won India a bronze medal through her victory over Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan in the women's 58kh freestyle wrestling category, the clamour to change Prime Minister Narendra Modi government's pro-girl initiative of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (save the daughter, educate the daughter) to Beti Bachao Medal Pao (save the daughter, get a medal) had begun.
India's daughters doing wonders at #Olympics2016 Wht a #rakshabandhan , @SakshiMalik & @Pvsindhu1 India is proud of u #betibachaoMedalpao
¡ª VaibhavJain-???? ??? (@vaibhavp82) August 18, 2016
Aftr perfmnc 4m #PVSindhu, Sakshi & Dipa at #RioOlympics....Govt shd change d slogan of #BetiBachaoBetiPadhao campgn to #BetiBachaoMedalPao
¡ª SmitS. (@SmitSuchak) August 18, 2016
Beti bachao... Medal pao... Cheers to 'Wolympic' medal.. Way to go Sindhu and Sakshi
¡ª Lakshmi Iyer (@Lakshmi1876) August 18, 2016
Before India's Rio Olympic campaign begun, the country had just three female medal winners at the Summer Games - Karnam Malleswari (bronze in 2000 Games in weightlifting), Saina Nehwal (bronze in 2012 London Olympics in badminton) and MC Mary Kom (bronze in 2012 London Olympics in boxing).
This year has already shown India's best performances by the ladies and they've done it time and again proving their worth.
Sakshi's story has been incredible as she comes from a land where they kill daughters in the womb itself and from such a setting, she came up, took up a masculine sport, broke all odds and finally made the country proud, also slapping the injustice and discrimination suffered by the girl child.
AFP
From Sindhu, who has already become India's best female Olympian in terms of colour of medal, the country can learn what you can do when you have the best coaches (Pullela Gopichand) and the importance of being a good student of the game.
From Lalita Babar, who became the first Indian women to reach the final of a track event in Olympics after PT Usha in 1984, India must learn to respect long-distance runners and invest in them more.
AFP
Dipa, who missed out on a podium finish by just a whisker, shows that sports is about risking your life by doing stunts not fit for all and bringing laurels to the country by not compromising an inch on physical fitness.
Reuters
Not to forget Vinesh Phogat, who gave her all and continued to fight in her opening bout despite a hand injury and who suffered pain during her second bout when an injury ended her campaign.
With Rio Olympics as a case study, it is high time that India starts respecting its females, be it grass roots, rural or urban and be proud of its daughters.
Sakshi Malik will inspire several sportspersons in the years to come. https://t.co/5aE24BIryT
¡ª Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 18, 2016
On this very auspicious day of Raksha Bandhan, Sakshi Malik, a daughter of India, wins a Bronze & makes all of us very proud. #Rio2016
¡ª Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 18, 2016
The people of India should feel proud of their daughters. First Sakshi Malik and now PV Sindhu has made history in #Rio2016
¡ª Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) August 18, 2016
Haryana is famous for killing its baby girls (gender ratio 873:1000). #SakshiMalik beats those odds & more to teach India, #BetiBachao !
¡ª #SonaLIVE (@sonamohapatra) August 18, 2016
Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao & Beti Khelao, this #Olympics is all about that for #IND:Aparna Popat,Olympian #SindhuStorm https://t.co/TlehYdXzB7
¡ª TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) August 18, 2016
