Overview
- The 19-year-old partnered Premchandra Yengkhom to win Ganda on his Khelo India Beach Games debut in Diu on an unfamiliar sand surface.
- He is from Sawombung Thokhong near Imphal and trains at Nawang Sports Academy, which has produced India’s international Ganda medallists Bishan and Johnson.
- A training accident caused by faulty mats severely injured his left toe, prompting a move from the Tanding combat category to Artistic/Performance.
- Financial strain led him to leave college and work as a welder while helping his father sell pigs, with earnings of about Rs 500 per day.
- Before this win, he took Ganda gold at the All India National Championships in Lucknow and placed fourth at the Asian Championship in Vietnam, and he said the Diu result boosts his motivation for upcoming senior nationals.