Shooter Manu Bhaker named BBC Indian Sportswomen of the Year 2024

Double Olympic medal winner shooter Manu Bhaker has been named the 2024 Indian Sportwomen of the Year by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) of the United Kingdom. In 2020, Manu Bhaker won the BBC's Emerging Athlete of the Year award.

The BBC instituted the BBC Indian Sportwomen of the Year in 2019. It honours Indian sportswomen for their performance in a calendar year. A panel of eminent Indian sports journalists and experts selects the nominees for the various award categories. The final winners are selected through public voting.

Award for Manu Bhaker

This year, in addition to Manu Bhaker, cricketer Smriti Mandhana, Golfer Aditi Ashok, para-shooter Avani Lekhara, and wrestler Vinesh Phogat were the other nominees.

Manu Bhaker secured the highest public vote to win the 2024 BBC Indian Sportwomen of the Year award.

Achievement 

• 22-year-old Manu Bhaker created a record in the 2024 Summer Paris Olympics by becoming the first Indian athlete after independence to win two medals in a single edition of the Summer Olympics.
• She won a bronze medal in the 10m air pistol and, partnering with Sarabjot Singh, won another bronze medal in the mixed 10m air pistol.
• She was also the first Indian woman to win a medal in the shooting event at the Olympics.
• Norman Pritchard won two silver medals in athletics at the 1900 Paris Olympics.

Previous Winner of BBC Indian Sportwomen of the Year award

The following are the winners of the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year Award. Mirabai Chanu won it twice, in 2021 and 2022.

• 2019- PV Sindhu (Badminton player)
• 2020- Koneru Humpey (Chess)
• 2021- Mirabai Chanu (weightlifter)
• 2022- Mirabai Chanu (weightlifter)
• 2023- No Award was given this year.
• 2024- Manu Bhaker 

2024  BBC Indian Sportswomen of the Year  Award Winners 

Following are the winners of the 2024 BBC Indian Sportwomen of the Year Award.

• Sportwomen of the Year- Manu Bhaker (Shooter)
• Para-sportswoman of the year award -Avani Lekhara (won gold in 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Paralympics in shooting).
• Lifetime Achievement Award - Mithali Raj (former Indian women's cricket team captain).
• Emerging Athlete of the Year- Sheetal Devi (youngest para-athlete to win a medal in Paralympics. She won a bronze in the Archery’s  Mixed team Open event at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. )

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a publicly funded broadcasting company in the United Kingdom, founded in 1927.

The BBC is governed by a 12-member Trust, whose members are appointed by the British Monarch.

Smriti Mandhana wins the 2024 ICC Women’s ODI (One Day International) Cricketer of the Year Award