BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year nominees revealed
- Published
The nominees for the third edition of BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year have been announced.
The five contenders are golfer Aditi Ashok, boxer Lovlina Borgohain, weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, Para-shooter Avani Lekhara and badminton player PV Sindhu.
The award honours the contributions of Indian sportswomen in 2021, and celebrates the achievements of all women involved in sport in the country.
You can vote for your favourite Indian Sportswoman of the Year on the BBC Sport website or any of the BBC's Indian Language websites.
Voting will remain open to the public until 28 February 2022 at 18:00GMT (23:30 IST), and the winner will be announced on 28 March 2022 at a ceremony in Delhi.
All the terms and conditions and a privacy notice, are on the BBC Sport website.
Results will also be announced on the BBC Sport website and the BBC Indian Language sites.
An Emerging Sportswoman of the Year will be recognised too, while there is also an award for Lifetime Achievement.
A panel selected by the BBC compiled the shortlist of Indian sportswomen. The jury includes some of the most authoritative sports journalists, experts and writers across India.
Meet the nominees
Aditi Ashok (golf)
Aditi Ashok: 'Golf chose me. It's the most fun thing I have'
Aditi Ashok has been India's brightest light in women's golf since she became a professional.
At the age of 18, Ashok was one of the youngest members of the Indian team at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The 23-year-old finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics, just outside the medals. Her success has ignited an interest in golf in India, which has had limited global success in the sport.
In 2016, she became the first Indian player to win a Ladies' European Tour event, and in 2021 she had three top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour.
Lovlina Borgohain (boxing)
Lovlina Borgohain: 'Muhammad Ali was my inspiration'
Lovlina Borgohain won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Games to become only the third Indian boxer to secure an Olympic podium place.
Borgohain won bronze at the 2017 Asian Championships, then proceeded to take gold at the inaugural India Open in 2018. She then represented India at the Commonwealth Games in Australia and also has two World Championship bronze medals to her name.
Born in the north-eastern state of Assam, the 24-year-old started off as a kick-boxer, taking inspiration from her two older sisters, but boxing then became her major passion.
Mirabai Chanu (weightlifting)
Mirabai Chanu: '4am truck rides to training were the only way'
Weightlifting champion Mirabai Chanu lodged her name in sporting history in 2021 when she became the first Indian weightlifter to clinch a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
She has come a long way since 2016, when she failed to lift the required weight at the Rio Games and almost said goodbye to the sport.
She recovered to win the gold medal in the 48kg division at the World Championships in 2017.
Born in the north-eastern state of Manipur, and the daughter of a tea stall owner, Chanu faced a lot of financial struggles in the initial stages of her sporting career but has overcome the odds.
Avani Lekhara (Para-shooting)
Avani Lekhara: India's first female Paralympic champion gained confidence from shooting
Avani Lekhara was the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Paralympic Games. Now 20, she set a new Paralympic record in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 category in Tokyo.
She followed that success with a bronze medal in the women's 50m rifle 3-positions SH1 competition.
A major car accident during childhood left her paralysed from the waist down. Her father introduced her to shooting after the accident and she hasn't looked back.
She is also studying law while pursuing her passion for sports.
PV Sindhu (badminton)
PV Sindhu: 'I believe you can do anything in life'
Badminton player Pusarla Venkata (PV) Sindhu was the first Indian woman to win two individual medals at the Olympics, with bronze at the Tokyo Games supplementing silver from Rio.
And she ended 2021 with a silver medal at the Badminton World Federation World Tour Finals.
In 2019, she became the first Indian to win a World Championship title. Seeded fifth, she beat higher seeds in the quarter-final, semi-final and final in Basel, Switzerland.
The jury have nominated five Indian sportswomen who had an outstanding calendar year, from 1 October 2020 to 30 September 2021.
The BBC launched the inaugural edition of the award in February 2020 and, following a tumultuous period in which the coronavirus pandemic has affected all areas of life, the campaign returns for its third year.
Chess player Koneru Humpy won last year.