India's hopes of a first gold medal by a woman athlete from the country at the Olympics ended in heartbreak after P V Sindhu lost to Spain's Carolina Marin 19-21, 21-12, 21-15 in the final of the women's singles badminton at the Rio Olympics on Friday.

Following the exploits of the 21-year-old Hyderabad girl and Sakshi Malik's bronze medal at the Rio Games, here's a look the women at the forefront of India's Olympic dreams over the last three decades or more.

• India's woman wonders at the Olympics
• Rio Olympics, on Rediff.com