London, England, February 8, 2022: The nominees for the third edition of the 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 contribution of Indian sportswomen in 2021, and celebrates the achievements of all women involved in sport in the country.
Fans can vote for the favourite Indian Sportswoman of the Year on the BBC Sport website or any of BBC’s Indian Language websites.
Voting will remain open to the public until February 28, 2022 and the winner will be announced on March 28, 2022 at a ceremony in New Delhi.
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.
At the age of 18, golfer Ashok was one of the youngest members of the Indian team at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The 23-year-old finished fourth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Borgohain won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Games to become only the third Indian boxer to secure an Olympic podium place.
Chanu wrote her name in sporting history when she became the first Indian weightlifter to clinch a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
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.
Badminton star Sindhu was the first Indian woman to win two individual medals at the Olympics, with bronze at Tokyo supplementing silver from Rio.
Chess player Koneru Humpy won last year.
Source: BBC
Photo: BBC