5 athletes in the Indian Olympic contingent who come from tribal regions

#2 Nikki Pradhan

Nikki Pradhan is one of the 16 members in the hockey team

The 22-year-old midfielder from Jharkhand became the first woman hockey player to represent India at the Olympics after she was named in the 16-member squad for Rio.

Nikki, who made her debut in 2015 has been a regular since then and has 12 international caps to her name. She belongs to a small village named Hesel in Muruhu block of Khubti district. What is surprising is the fact that her own villagers were unaware of her achievements before July 12th when the teams were announced.

Nikki lives in a thatched mud house where the bathroom does not even have a proper door.