Best women sports performances of the year 2021

Women were the highlight of 2021 with their inspiring performances across the Olympics and Paralympics. We take a look at the very best of them­

Mirabai Chanu: The Indian ace weightlifter Mirabai Chanu gave the country a perfect start at the Tokyo Olympics when she won the silver medal at one of the world's biggest sporting events. Chanu lifted a total of 202 kgs (87kgs in snatch + 115 kgs in clean and jerk) to bag the medal. Chanu's win came two decades after trailblazer Karnam Malleshwari became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal.

Avani Lekhara: At just the age of 19, Avani Lekhara became the first Indian woman to win two Paralympic medals in Tokyo on her debut. Before claiming a bronze medal in 50m Rifle 3 Position SH1, the young shooter had also become the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic gold by winning top honours in 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 event. 

Bhavina Patel: Table tennis star Bhavina Patel had a memorable debut at the Tokyo Paralympics. The Indian paddler defeated World No 2 Borislava Peric-Rankovic in straight games to clinch the silver medal. With this win, Bhavina became the first Indian paddler to win a medal at the Games.

Lovlina Borgohain: Yet another Tokyo debutant, Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain won a bronze medal in the women's 69kg welter-weight category. Defeating a former world champion in the quarterfinals, Lovlina became the third Indian boxer to win a medal in the Olympics.

 Indian women's hockey team: The Rani Rampal-led team created history by becoming the first Indian women's hockey team to reach an Olympic semifinal. Even if they lost the bronze medal match by just 1 point, the team made their country proud by putting their best performance on display. 

 PV Sindhu: Indian ace shuttler PV Sindhu was yet again a star, she won her second Olympic medal. Sindhu defeated China's He Bing Jiao in straight games to win the bronze medal in Tokyo. She also had an incredible run at the BWF World Championships.

 Aditi Ashok: Golfer Aditi Ashok has become a household name after her stunning performance in the Tokyo Olympics where she missed out nearly on a medal. More than half the population of India who never watched golf woke up at 4 am to watch Aditi play.

 Manika Batra: Table tennis star Manika Batra despite not having her coach at the Tokyo Olympics put on some great performance. However, she made a strong comeback when she won a bronze medal at WTT Contender. 

Indian women's football team: In one of the most significant events for Indian football, 57th ranked India, played against two-time Olympics silver medalist and former World Cup runners-up Brazil, in a four-nations tournament. In the same match, forward Manisha Kalyan scored a brilliant goal. Even though India lost all matches, the team's performance in this tournament was appreciated worldwide.

Nethra Kumanan: Nethra Kumanan became the first Indian sailor to qualify for the Olympics. Nethra showcased some incredible skills in Tokyo waters, to finish 35th in the race. Later, Nethra won the gold medal at the laser radial event of the Gran Canaria Sailing Championships. She also finished 23rd at the World Championships.

 Bhavani Devi: C A Bhavani Devi is the first Indian fencer to qualify for the Olympics. Bhavani, then, won 1st ever fencing match in Olympics history, by beating Tunisia's Ben Azizi. Later she won the Charlellville National Competition in France in the individual women's sabre event.

 Indian women's cricket team: Even if our Indian women's cricket team did not have any major tournaments scheduled this year, the team still made head turns for their incredible Tests performance. Even after playing a Test match after seven years, the team successfully ended up the match against England in a draw. Similarly, playing their first-ever pink-ball day-night Test against Australia, the young team didn't let the Aussies win and ended this match in a draw too.