Girls On Top

Nikhila Pai celebrates the highs of India’s sportswomen at the 2018 Asian Games.

- Nikhila Pai

India’s performance at the 2018 Asian Games has been its best ever. Our haul included a whopping 69 medals, which comprised 15 golds, 24 silvers and 30 bronze. Playing a huge part in putting that proud smile on our faces, were our sportswomen. The country’s girl-power packed a solid wallop, as they did us particularly proud, battling the odds to reach where they did.

Take Swapna Barman, hailing from a small town in North Bengal, who won immense respect for her feats. Despite competing with a severe toothache and running with a bandaged jaw, Swapna, who has six toes on both her feet, managed to complete seven events and bring India our first-ever Asian Games gold medal in heptathlon.

Our youngest sprint sensation Hima Das covered herself and the country in glory. She broke a 14-yearold national 400m record in the qualifying heats, following it up with a silver in the finals. Incidentally, Hima is actually a 200m specialist and it was only this March that she had competed in the 400m event for the first time. Hima was also part of the team that clinched gold in the 4x400m relay on the final day of the athletics programme. She gave the lead on the first lap with a stunning run, which the rest of the girls consolidated, leaving their opponents far behind.