10 women who have done India proud in the sporting arena

Karnam Malleswari

Malleswari was India’s first female Olympic medallist

One of India’s earliest weightlifting names, Karnam Malleswari, at only 17, won three silver medals at the Asian Championships of 1992. Qualifying for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, Malleswari won bronze, the first time an Indian woman had won a medal at the Olympic Games.

Prior to this, Malleswari won the World Weightlifting Championships in 1995, and set a new world record in the process.

She also had a 9-year reign as India’s national weightlifting champion; two times in the 52kg category, and seven in the 54kg.