Guts & Glory

Four phenomenal athletes, four inspiring stories—Joshna Chinappa, Harmanpreet Kaur, MR Poovamma and Vinesh Phogat talk to ELLE about triumphing against all odds.

- Manali Shah

From cricket to wrestling, India’s sportswomen have made her proud at international championships. But it’s not been an easy journey—they have suffered, not only due to a lack of infrastructure, but also due to prejudice and stereotypes.

Squash player Joshna Chinappa, sprinter MR Poovamma, cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur and wrestler Vinesh Phogat are four Nike athletes who dared to dream big, trained hard, and then set out to create history. The brand, which has a track record of backing athletes, believes sport can mould and drive positive change. For example, its recent #MakeTheWorldListen campaign that encouraged women to pursue sport without caring for judgement. From January to May, it empowered women from different walks of life to break stereotypes through complimentary fitness sessions and a sports carnival that culminated in a three-kilometre run in Mumbai last month.

Underscoring Nike’s belief in equality in sport, Chinappa, Poovamma, Kaur and Phogat, who each overcame barriers, share their stories with ELLE.

JOSHNA CHINAPPA, SQUASH

Hailing from a family of squash players, Joshna Chinappa grew up playing various sports at Madras Cricket Club, but veered towards squash. Her father introduced her to the game when she was 10, and ever since, she harboured the dream of representing her country as a squash player. Not only did she realise this dream, but in 2016, she also broke into the world top ten ranking at number 10. The 32-year-old has won medals at the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games. “The journey so far has been quite a ride, but the wins are extremely satisfying,” she says.