Tribal girl from Jharkhand qualifies for world wrestling championship

RANCHI: Chanchala Kumari, a 14-year-old tribal athlete and cadet of the Jharkhand State Sports Promotion Society (JSSPS) became the first wrestler in the history of the state to get qualified for the world wrestling championship which will be held in Budapest (Hungary) between July 19 and 25.
Chanchala, the daughter of a small-time farmer, Narendra Nath Pahan, in Ranchi’s Hotwar village, achieved the feat on Monday after trials in Delhi.
Talking to TOI over the phone, an elated Chanchala said, “I will be the first from my family to go to any foreign country. I am happy to represent my country in the global arena.”
She furthers said fighting to ward off Covid-19 and the lockdowns which stalled sporting activities, have been very tough for her. “Due to the lockdown last year, JSSPS was shut and all players were sent home. While at home, it was difficult to continue practice alone as there was no partner available. Moreover, I had no mat for practice and proper food was also an issue because of our poverty. But gradually, JSSPS officials and my coaches supported me and helped me get into form,” said Chanchala, who is the third among four siblings.
Chanchala will represent the country in the 40kg sub-junior category. “She will be the lone athlete to represent the country in this category,” said coach Bablu Kumar, who is currently with her in Delhi.
According to Kumar, Chanchala got a breakthrough in her career when the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Lucknow called her for the India camp in October last year to train with other cadets. “She got exposure there and learnt new and better skills. In January this year, she again returned to her native place due to the lockdown but JSSPS provided tablets to all its cadets through which we continued to provide online training,” he said.
Jharkhand State Wrestling Association president Bholanath Singh said before her selection for the world championship, Chanchala has brought laurels for the state by winning medals in various national wrestling events. “She clinched silver in the SGFI national meet in 2017-18, successive golds in SGFI meets in 2018-19, 19-20 and bronze in the 2020-21 sub-junior national meet. It’s a proud moment for us today,” Singh said.
The JSSPS is a joint venture between the Central Coalfields Limited and the Jharkhand government to train budding players across different disciplines at the mega sports complex in Hotwar.
CCL director (personnel) Vinay Ranjan congratulated Chanchala on her achievement and said, “We are hopeful that she will win a medal at the international arena.”