Hat-trick girl Saina eyes top spot, Olympic medal
Hyderabad: Badminton player Saina Nehwal is a national icon following her good showing ion the international scene in the past couple of years. Her rapid rise to the top of a sport that has been dominated by Chinese and South East Asian players is nothing short of a miracle.
But has she done enough already to claim the tag of being the greatest sportswoman India has ever produced? Just how far can the 20-year-old world No. 3 badminton player from Hyderabad go? Saina's successful defence of her Indonesia Open Badminton Super Series title on Sunday is another feather in a cap that is rapidly running out of space. The win is a hat-trick of super series titles and a future where the possibilities seem endless. The win in Indonesia came after she won back-to-back titles - India Open Grand Prix and the Singapore Open Super Series in the last two weeks. "It's a phenomenal achievement. I think what Saina has been doing is great. Lot of Indians especially lot of young Indian women and boys will see what sheer determination and ability can do," says former Indian team skipper Rahul Dravid.
Saina has done enough to warrant a place among the greatest ever sportswomen independent India has produced. The legendary PT Usha took Indian sprinting to incredible heights in a career that saw her miss an Olympic gold by 1/100th of a second. But the sight of her draped in medals after the 1986 Seoul Asian Games is one of India's enduring sporting images.
Karnam Malleswari became India’s first ever female medallist at an Olympic games, bringing herself and the nation to glory in Sydney at the turn of the millennium, with a bronze medal winning lift.
MC Mary Kom, too, makes a strong case as well. Emerging from Manipur, the feisty boxer has won the world championship four times, returning to the ring recently after delivering twins. Mary is now aiming for gold at London Olympics in two years time.
Tennis player Sania Mirza may be down right now, but she has been a pioneer in her own right. She is the first Indian woman to break into the top 30 in the world on the tennis circuit.
Saina was named CNN-IBN's Indian of the Year in Sports recently but her journey has just begun. On her radar now are the world championships, the top spot in the rankings and a medal at the Olympics.
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