Imphal: Manipuri athlete Bhumeshwory Devi Huidrom scripted history by winning a bronze medal in the women’s 800m event at the Asian U23 Athletics Championships in Ordos, China. Clocking 2:10.20, she edged out China’s Gejing Zhu by 0.03 seconds on July 12, marking a major milestone for India at the continental meet.
Twenty-two-year-old middle-distance runner Bhumeshwory Devi Huidrom became one of the few athletes from Northeast India to win an international track medal after clinching bronze in the women’s 800m event at the 2026 Asian U23 Athletics Championships.
Clocking 2:10.20, Huidrom produced a thrilling finish to edge past China’s Gejing Zhu by just 0.03 seconds and secure third place. Uzbekistan’s Jonbibi Hukmova won the gold medal with a time of 2:08.41, while Japan’s Kurumi Sugure took silver in 2:09.42.
Hailing from Huidrom Awang Leikai in Manipur, Bhumeshwory began her athletics journey in 2017 at the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) National Centre of Excellence in Takyel, Imphal. After the programme was discontinued, she moved to Bhopal to continue her training.
Her consistent performances earned her a place in the IOCL Project Shakti initiative, a high-performance programme supported by SAI, the Athletics Federation of India and Indian Oil Corporation Limited, with an eye on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Currently training at the SAI National Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru under Italian coach Claudio Pannozzo, she has built on a successful domestic career.
Bhumeshwory previously won gold medals at the Indian Grand Prix and the Open Athletics Meet, besides claiming silver at the 64th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships.
Former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh congratulated the young athlete on social media, praising her “exceptional talent, dedication, and hard work.”
He described her bronze medal as a proud moment for both Manipur and the country, adding to the region’s rich sporting legacy.