Author, Nauris Pritam, Senior Sports Journalist
Designation for BBC News Hindi
Published 4 minutes ago
Reading Time: 7 minutes
In 2000, Karnam Malleswari became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal at the Sydney Olympic Games. Malleswari had achieved this distinction by winning the bronze medal in weightlifting.
Leave aside the medal, for this youth from Andhra Pradesh, reaching the Olympics was no less than conquering Everest.
Struggling with social and economic problems and lack of facilities, he left his native town Srikakulam and moved to Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi with his sister so that he could train.
His mother also came with him. Only so that they could cook and feed their daughters, because the hotel expenses were beyond their means.
The situation has not changed much even in 'New India'
Even today, after 26 years, amidst the glamor of social media, the glamor of the corporate world and the government slogans of 'New India', there has been no difference in the condition of Indian players, at least in the initial days.
Even today, some players' families are selling their cows and bulls, some are selling their ancestral land, and some are borrowing money so that their children can continue in sports.
The path of sports is even more difficult for women players, because along with proving themselves on the field, they also have to face social difficulties.
BBC took a look at some such Indian women players, who despite all these problems, represented the country in the Japanese city of Nagoya and also won medals.
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The first name in this list should be that of weightlifter Mirabai Chanu.
It is true that today Mirabai is a big star player, but in the initial phase, it was a big challenge for her to remain in the game.
In Nagoya, Mirabai also won the medal, the lack of which was very painful for her. It is a big achievement for India to get an Asian Games medal in weightlifting after 28 years.
Even though she missed out on winning gold, the silver medal is also very important.
Mirabai comes from Manipur, which is considered a remote area of India. His house in Nongpok Kakching village is about 20 kilometers away from the capital Imphal.
Mirabai, the youngest among her six siblings, had an ordinary family. His father Saikhom Kariti was a laborer in a government department. His mother Tombi Devi used to run a tea shop to help meet the household expenses.
Like boxer Mary Kom, Mirabai also used to collect wood from the forest to help her mother, so that she could burn it in the stove and save some oil money.
Perhaps collecting wood became his way into the game.
When she was just 12 years old, one day she went with her brother to collect wood. When it was his turn to pick up the bundle of wood, his brother was having trouble lifting it.
Mirabai easily picked up the same bundle and walked about two kilometers through the hilly road to reach home. Perhaps his weightlifting career started from here.
Later, she took a bus and sometimes a lift in a truck to take training from former weightlifter Anita Chanu.
Today Mirabai is definitely a star, but the initial phase was very difficult for her.
Nikita Kumari
Nikita played a big role in India winning the gold medal in Kabaddi.
While 17-year-old Nikita played the role of a strong defender in the final, she also scored five points for her team as a raider.
But to reach this point, Nikita and her family had to work hard.
Nikita's father Anil Nayan, resident of Hasangarh village in Hisar district of Haryana, is an ordinary farmer and her mother Vinod Kumari looks after the house.
Nikita, the fourth among seven siblings, needed support to realize her sporting dreams. Despite financial constraints, his parents provided him this support.
Seeing one of her cousins playing, eight year old Nikita also showed interest in Kabaddi and soon made her place in the game.
Nikita scored 17 points while playing for Haryana state at a young age. He made Haryana the national champion and made his mark at the national level.
Manpreet Kaur
Now let's talk about Manpreet Kaur, who surprised everyone by winning a bronze medal in an event like shot put at the age of 36.
Interestingly, her husband and 14 year old daughter were watching this miracle in the stadium in Japan.
Manpreet, who came from a farmer family of Sahauli village in Punjab, lost her father at the age of 12.
Later his mother became paralyzed. Even today, after 20 years, he is in trouble.
In the year 2006, Manpreet won his first junior national title. Despite so many problems, she remains in the game today. Salute to his spirit.
Roshibina Devi
Like Mirabai Chanu, Naorem Roshibina Devi also comes from Manipur. His house is in Bishnupur district.
Roshibina also does not belong to any rich family. His father Damu Singh is an ordinary farmer.
Realizing his daughter's talent, he took, it must be said, a very bold step. He even sold his land to meet the training and travel expenses of his daughter, who was an expert in Wushu.
In return, Roshibina gave him his third medal in Japan. Earlier, he had won bronze medal in Jakarta in 2018 and silver medal in Hangzhou in 2022.
At the time when the Games were to be held in Hangzhou, the political situation in Manipur was not good. The internet was down and according to Roshibina, her father could not even go to his farm because of the riots.
The financial condition of the house was worsening, but his parents did not let his courage break.
She had reached there after spending 40 thousand rupees to go to the camp in Patiala.
Seema Kumari
The story of Seema Kumari, who won the bronze medal in the 10 thousand meter race, is no less than a Bollywood film.
If an eight-ten year old girl in Chamba, Himachal Pradesh loses her father, it is as if her world gets destroyed. But Seema was made of a different material.
According to her mother, Seema was somewhat stubborn and courageous. He was fond of sports since childhood.
In a family with seven siblings, it becomes difficult to run the house without a father. On the surface, if a child talks about continuing the game, it seems a bit strange.
But Seema Kumari kept all these things aside and continued the game.
Seema, from Reta village of Chamba, started training in athletics at the age of just 11, staying away from home in the Sports Authority's hostel in Dharamshala.
Seema became the third Indian woman after Preeja Sreedharan and Kavita Raut to win a medal in the 10,000 meter race at the Asian Games in Japan.
During the race in Japan, there was some problem with the soles of her spikes, but the lively Seema did not lose courage.
Interestingly, Seema had not even told her elderly mother that she was going to Japan for the Asian Games.
Seema felt that her mother, a heart patient, would get upset and her illness might worsen. But he did not know that his mother had watched her daughter's race on TV.
Amidst the celebration and noise, some well-known people and leaders of the society will also get photographs clicked with the players.
But later the same story will be repeated again during some big sports fair.
