When Ami Ghia and Kanwal Thakar Singh became the first Indian women to clinch a Commonwealth Games medal

Shuttlers Ami Ghia and Kanwal Thakar Singh were the only women in the Indian contingent for the 1978 Commonwealth Games. Ghia and Thakkar participated in the women's doubles event and no one expected them to even go past the first round. However, they went on to script history to become the first woman medallists at the Commonwealth Games.
CWG 2018 medals

The medals of the 2018 Commonwealth Games (Courtesy: GC2018.com)

KEY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Ami Ghia and Kanwal Thakkar Singh were the only women to represent India at the 1978 Commonwealth Games.
  • They clinched the badminton women's doubles bronze medal that year.
  • This was the first time that Indian women bagged a medal at the Commonwealth Games
India are sending one of their strongest female contingent for the Commonwealth Games in years. It boasts the likes of PV Sindhu, Mirabai Chanu, Hima Das, Dutee Chand among a number of others who are considered strong contenders to bring back medals from the multi-sport showpiece. However, there was a time when women weren't even considered to be sent for these mega events. In the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmomton, Canada, only two women were part of the Indian contingent. Shuttlers Ami Ghia and Kanwal Thakar Singh, however went on to create history at the Games that year.
Ghia and Thakkar participated in the women's doubles event of the 1978 Commonwealth Games. No one expected them to even go past the first round. However to everyone's surprise they stormed their way through to the semi-final where they faced the strong pairing of Nora Perry and Anne Statt in the semi-final. They however lost the match to enter the bronze medal encounter against the strong pairing of Jane Webster and Barbara Sutton.
However, the underdog duo clinched a surprise victory over their opponents to win the bronze medal at the event. What made the win even more special was the fact that Ami Ghia and Kanwal Thakkar Singh were participating in their first international tournament.
They created history as they were the first women from India to clinch a medal at the Commonwealth Games. In doing so, they definitely broke the stereotype that only men can win medals at big events.
In fact theirs was only the second time that women were sent to the Commonwealth Games from India. The first time women represented India was in the 1958 edition when Stephanie D’Souza and Elizabeth Davenport had participated in the track and field events.
In the 1978 Commonwealth Games India finished with a total of 15 medals including 5 gold, 4 silver, and 6 bronze. However, the bronze medal won by Ghia and Thakkar was the most special one, as it laid the foundation for future women athletes to represent India at the Commonwealth Games and come back home with medals.
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