#3 Karnam Malleswari - Bronze in Weightlifting, 2000 Sydney
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It took 53 years since independence for an Indian woman to win an Olympics medal. The moment of reckoning came at the 2000 Sydney Games when Karnam Malleswari won the bronze medal in weightlifting in the 69 kg category.
Malleswari lifted 110 kg in the snatch and 130 kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 240 kg. Although the Indian public were happy and proud of her feat, she was a bit disappointed on missing out the gold.
Also Read: Blast from the Past: When India made a breakthrough with its weightlifting champion in the Olympics
It was a combination of some miscalculations on the part of her coaches and a bit of bad luck that stopped her from finishing on the top step of the podium. Nevertheless, her bronze medal was a golden moment in India’s Olympic history. To put things into perspective, only two Indian other women (Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal in 2012 London Olympics) have won an Olympics medal since her heroics in Sydney.
