From Smriti Mandhana to Manu Bhaker: Women Athletes Who Inspire Indian Sports | Women’s Day 2026

International Women’s Day, a day we recognise and honour women’s achievements, is celebrated every year on March 8. It also highlights the need for equality, opportunity and fair representation. One sector where Indian women athletes have achieved success and have been a source of inspiration to budding sportswomen by showing their grit and determination is sports.

Indian sportspersons who changed the sport

The growth of women’s cricket in India has been truly remarkable in the last few years, and this wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts and performances of several key players.

Smriti Mandhana is one of the biggest names and wonders of the sport. Her recent accomplishments led Mattel to honour her with a special Barbie doll as part of the 2026 Barbie Dream Team, making her the first cricketer to get such recognition and highlighting her as a role model both on and off the field.

Mithali Raj, who is known as the Lady Tendulkar of Indian Women’s Cricket, has been a whopping influence, and her impact goes far and wide. Mithali not only tops the charts as the highest run scorer in women’s international cricket but also became the first woman cricketer to amass 7, 000 runs in ODIs, setting a high bar for future players.

Harmanpreet Kaur has been one of the mainstays of Indian women’s cricket over the last few years. Her attacking and fearless style of batting, combined with an ability to lead the side from the front, makes her a real role model. She has been a constant source of inspiration for her team and for the young girls who see their path in cricket through her.

Mary Kom stands as one of the top athletes of India. She has grabbed hold of six titles in the World Championships and carved her name as the first Indian female boxer to win an Olympic medal. The story of her professional life is one big picture of determination and grit. For instance, she staged a victorious comeback after motherhood.

PT Usha, commonly called the “Queen of Indian Track and Field, ” was the leading figure in athletics. Her record-breaking performances have been the source of motivation for many young women to take up athletics and aim for the professional level.

Sania Mirza brought changes to the sport of tennis in India. In a short period, she became one of the world’s top-ranked doubles players. She also shattered stereotypes of being a Muslim woman playing a male, thus encouraging the new generation of female tennis players.

Saina Nehwal earned a place in the history of badminton by being the first Indian to become world number one. At the London 2012 Olympics, she won a bronze medal, which further increased the popularity of badminton throughout India.

PV Sindhu has risen to be one of the most recognised athletes from India. Not only did she earn a silver medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics, but she also bagged a bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Games, thereby becoming the very first Indian woman to have two Olympic medals in badminton. Besides, she was instrumental in the Indian women’s team that won the gold medal at the 2024 Badminton Asia Team Championships held in Malaysia.

Mirabai Chanu has been the torchbearer of India’s weightlifting tradition. She became world champion in 2017, and at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, she lifted a silver medal in the 49kg weight category. Chanu has won several medals in the Commonwealth Games and World Championships as well.

Manu Bhaker is a shooting star. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, she secured two bronzes in the women’s 10m air pistol and mixed team 10m air pistol events, making her the first Indian woman to win an Olympic shooting medal and the first athlete from independent India to win two medals at the same Olympics. 

Bhaker introduced Shooting at her home at the age of 14 and quickly became notable. At 16, she had won the record for being the youngest Indian ISSF World Cup gold medal winner in 2018. She has since won many medals at major international competitions, including the Commonwealth Games, Youth Olympics, and World Cups and has become one of the most promising sporting talents of India.

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