Akanksha Singh
{{short description|Indian basketball player (born 1989)}}
{{For|the Indian actress|Aakanksha Singh}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2017}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{more footnotes needed|date=July 2010}}
{{BLP sources|date=December 2017}}
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{{Infobox NCAA athlete
| name = Akanksha Singh
| image =
| image_size = 200
| height = 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
| team = Indian women Basketball team / Delhi
| position = Small forward / point guard
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1989|09|07}}
| birth_place = Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
| currently Playing for India & Delhi State
| nationality = {{flagicon|IND}} Indian
| career_start = International: 2003
| career_end =
}}
Akanksha Singh (born 7 September 1989 in Varanasi Uttar Pradesh) is an Indian basketball player and former captain of the India Women's National Basketball Team.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thequint.com/sports/meet-cricketer-ishant-sharmas-fiancee-basketball-champ-pratima-singh-wedding|title=Meet Ishant Sharma's Fiancee: Basketball Champ Pratima Singh|work=The Quint|access-date=2018-04-17|language=en}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.stabroeknews.com/2011/sports/08/12/indian-basketball-sisters-defy-gender-bias/|title=Indian basketball sisters defy gender bias|date=2011-08-12|work=Stabroek News|access-date=2018-04-17|language=en-US}} She has played for the national team since 2004. She and her sisters, Divya, Prashanti, and Pratima are known as the "fantastic four" of the Indian women's basketballers, and are also known as the "Singh Sisters".{{Cite news|url=http://www.mapsofindia.com/my-india/sports/fantastic-four-indian-women-basketball-gets-a-fillip|title=Fantastic four – Indian Women Basketball gets a fillip {{!}} My India|newspaper=My India|date=10 October 2014|language=en|access-date=2018-04-17}}
Playing career
In 2003, Akanksha Singh made her debut in the Senior Nationals and played for the Uttar Pradesh team when she was just an 11th grader. In 2004, she followed her sisters' footsteps on the Delhi team.{{Cite news|url=https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/stories/features/detail/india-basketball-singh-sisters/|title=CELEBRATING INDIA'S BASKETBALL KINDRED - THE SINGH SISTERS}} In 2010, Akanksha was awarded the Most Valuable Player in India's first professional basketball league, the MPBL. Her name was forever cemented in the Indian basketball history books as one of the first-ever top four players to achieve the "A Grade" from the Basketball Federation of India sponsored by IMG Reliance. She is often called the "small wonder" in basketball.{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Akanksha-is-champ/articleshow/16483311.cms|title=Akanksha is champ|work=The Times of India|access-date=2018-04-17}}
She has been awarded Best Player in many national and state championships. In her captaincy at the University of Delhi, she won a gold medal in the All India University basketball championship at Nellore, where she was given joint best player award along with her sister Pratima Singh.
Personal life
Singh comes from a family of basketball players. She completed her undergraduate studies at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi.{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/spotlight/basketball-star-akanksha-singh-to-marry-nityn-bulchandani/articleshow/61723262.cms |title= Basketball star Akanksha Singh to marry Nityn Bulchandani}} Her sisters Divya, Prashanti, and Pratima have represented the Indian National Women's Basketball Team. Oldest among the sisters is Priyanka, who is a National Institute of Sports basketball coach.{{Citation|last=NDTV|title=The Basketball sisters of Banaras|date=2011-07-17|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwsO2Ubt0Pg |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211220/pwsO2Ubt0Pg |archive-date=2021-12-20 |url-status=live|accessdate=2018-04-17}}{{cbignore}} Her sister Divya worked with the University of Delaware basketball team.{{Cite news|url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/a-talk-with-divya-singh-former-indian-basketball-team-captain|title=A talk with Divya Singh, Former Indian Basketball Team Captain|date=2011-01-22|access-date=2018-04-17}} Her brother Vikrant Solanki is a football player In the I-league and Santosh Trophy competitions.
Awards and achievements
- Awarded as one of the best four ‘A grade players’ across the country in women's basketball in India
- May 2010 - Most Valuable Player in first All India Mastan Basketball Professional League held at Mumbai, Maharashtra
- May 2010 - Best Player Award in the league match in MBPL, Mumbai, Maharashtra
- 2008 - Most Valuable Player in All India Inter University Basketball Tournament held at Nellore, Andhra Pradesh
- 2008 - Best Player Award in Lady Shri Ram College for Women, New Delhi
- September 2006 - Best Player Award in XXXII St. Stephens College invitational basketball tournament held at St. Stephen's College, Delhi
- September 2005 - Best Player Award in XXXI St. Stephens College invitational basketball tournament held at St. Stephens College, Delhi
International sporting achievements
- Asian Games 2014 Incheon, KOREA, 19 September to 4 October 2014
- 34th Williams Jones Cup invitational tournament 2012, Miaoli county, Taiwan
- 25th FIBA Asian Basketball Championship for senior women, 2011, Nagasaki, Japan
- 33rd William Jones Cup 2011, Hsinchuang Gymnasium, Chinese Taipei
- Asian Games 2010 Guangzhou, China, 12 November to 27 November 2010
- 24th FIBA Asian Basketball Championship for Senior Women, 2009, Chennai, India
- 23rd FIBA Asian Basketball Championship for Senior Women, 2007, Korea
- 18th FIBA Asian Basketball Championship for Junior Women 2007, Bangkok, Thailand
- 2nd FIBA Asian Basketball Championship for Young Women, 2006, Singapore
- 17th FIBA Asian Basketball Championship for Junior Women, 2004, Shenzhen, China
- Indian Camp for 21st FIBA Asian Basketball Championship for Senior Women, 2005, Qinhuangdao City, China
References
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Category:Sportswomen from Uttar Pradesh
Category:Indian women's basketball players
Category:Basketball players from Varanasi
Category:Basketball players at the 2010 Asian Games
Category:Basketball players at the 2014 Asian Games
Category:21st-century Indian women
Category:21st-century Indian people