Linthoi Chanambam, the 16-year-old, who recently became the first Indian to win a world title in judo, was commemorated and facilitated by the Director General, Sports Authority of India (SAI), Shri Sandip Pradhan at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi on Monday.
The judoka from Manipur defeated Brazil’s Reis Bianca in the 57 kg weight category, 1-0 by Waza-ari — a throw — to clinch the historic Gold at the World Cadet Championship 2022 in Sarajevo.
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Linthoi Chanambam was accompanied by her Georgian coach Mamuka Kizilashvii to the event.
Expressing her gratitude towards the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Linthoi said, “SAI has always helped me and backed me with all my endeavours. I am extremely grateful for the unwavering support of Shri Sandip Pradhan and SAI. They can be attributed to the immense joy I feel for winning this gold medal.”
Linthoi also talked about the contribution of JSW and Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) to her success.
“They spotted me and recruited me at the age of 11 and since then have taken extreme care of my diet, my training regimen and provided me with all the tools and facilities that I needed to be successful. I will eternally be grateful to JSW and IIS for all that they have done for me and I hope I can keep repaying their faith in me with medals,” she said.
Speaking about her goals, the 16-year-old world champion said that her eyes are firmly set on Paris 2024.
“I want to be the first gold medalist for India in Judo at the Olympics and my eyes are firmly set on Paris 2024,” she concluded.
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