Sport is not about defeating the opponents but it is about overcoming the challenges and obstacles even in tough situations and these three female sports stars from Northeast India have done exactly that and are making the country proud in many ways by bringing glory to India.
3. Jamuna Boro
Meet Indian athlete from Assam and her name is Jamuna Boro. She did India proud after she clinched a gold medal at the one-sided 54 kg final in the 23rd President’s Cup event held in Indonesia on July 28th, 2019. Interestingly, Jamuna Boro had won one more gold medal at the 2nd India Open International Boxing Tournament, held in Guwahati.
She was even lauded by Assam’s CM Sonowal, who tweeted, “Congratulations to Jamuna Boro for winning at the prestigious #PresidentCup Boxing tournament in Indonesia. We are proud of your achievement. Keep shining.”
Hailing from Assam’s Sonitpur district, she got the better of Italy’s experienced fighter Giulia Lamagna with a convincing edge of 5-0. Boro won a gold medal at the second India Open International Boxing Tournament that happened in Guwahati.
She is also making her mother proud as she is building her a home in their native Dhekiajuli, Assam.
It should be noted that Nirmali is Jamuna’s only surviving parent. “I did not know much about my papa,” the 22-year-old told DNA on Tuesday. “My mother is everything to me. Now I want to do everything for her.”
Nirmali backed Jamuna and her brother and sister by selling vegetables.
“It was very tough for me to get into sports. Ma battled financial and family problems,” she added. “My aptitude took me to Sports Hostel in Sonitpur district, three hours away, when I was eight or nine.” When at home, Jamuna would help her mother at their shop. “Now, I feel good when I reflect upon the early struggle,” she says.
“Those days are a thing of the past. Jamuna’s siblings are happily married, and when she is not participating in international tournaments or attending national camps in Delhi, she lives in her old home in Dhekiajuli with her mother. Nirmali is no longer sells vegetables.
“She has worked enough all these years, and now there is no need to,” says the dutiful daughter. “I also get financial support from the government. All I want my mother to do now is rest and enjoy our new home in two-three months.”
Jamuna is happy that her life has changed drastically. “Earlier, my days were filled with practice, hard work and competitions,” she says. “Now, I have to grow up and plan for the future. I know I have to achieve a lot more and have to stay in boxing.”
2. Hima Das
Hima Das is officially India’s run-machine now. Her exemplary appetite to win gold medals for India sets her a class apart from most other athletes in the country. This is why Hima Das is so special and to make things good, she is only 19 years old.
It is not that easy for an athlete to win a gold for the nation. One has to be physically fit as a fiddle to cross all hurdles in life and Hima Das ensured to tick all the boxes in her training. Her hard work reaped her the much-needed rewards.
Hima Das who won the U-20 World Championships last year, once again stole the spotlight as she won sixth gold of July as she returned to her pet event, the 400m race, in the Czech Republic according to Dainik Jagran.
She clocked a season-best record of 52.09 seconds while completing 400 m event en route to winning 5th gold medal. Now, she overtook her previous record by finishing the most-recent 400m race event at 51.46 seconds. Hima Das just keeps getting better day by day.
Not just one but six gold medals for Hima Das in 21 days is something extraordinary but to Hima’s standards, anything is achievable now considering her winning prowess.
Hima still needs to make the cut for World Championships, and from there on, work harder than ever before in order to claim a prestigious ticket for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 to carve out a reputation for herself as one of the world’s top athletes.
1. Mary Kom
Mary Kom has got everything in her to inspire the youths of the nation. Her attitude and courage in the face of adversity is well and truly inspiring. She once again hit the headlines for her massive achievement.
She proved that she’s worth her weight in gold by defeating opponents with relative ease. Mary Kom scripted history by becoming the first female boxer to win six gold medals at World Boxing Championships, which no other female boxer in the world has achieved.
Hailing from Manipur, Mary Kom has now become the most successful athlete in the tournament’s history. Words are not enough to describe her!
Even India coach Rafaelle Bergamasco showered praise on Mary Kom’s decisive approach as she executes her strategy to perfection in all the matches. According to Rafaelle, Mary Kom chips in with a flawless display in the ring.
She also became the World No 1 (48kg weight division) in the International Boxing Association’s (AIBA) world rankings. Her unmatched sixth world title success helped her to reach the number one position in the International Boxing Association’s (AIBA) latest world rankings.
The 36-year-old enjoyed 2018 through and through, picking up gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and a tournament in Poland. She also clinched silver at the prestigious Strandja Memorial in Bulgaria.
What an inspiration Mary Kom is! One of the biggest sporting icons in India, from her challenging journey to now becoming the best in the world.