Guwahati: Although geographically isolated and culturally distanced from mainland India, Northeast has made some remarkable achievements in the field of sports. The region has produced some of the finest sportspersons who keep India’s tally in prestigious tournaments like the Olympics and Commonwealth Games high.

From Mirabai Chanu to Shushila Devi, Hima Das to Jeremy Lalrinnunga, Shiva Thapa to Amlan Borgohain, this year Northeast has witnessed several landmarks moments in sports. With so many sportsmen making a mark at national as well as international landscapes, here are 15 sportsmen from the Northeast who made the region proud with their remarkable performances in 2022.

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Mirabai Chanu

Olympic medallist from Manipur, Mirabai Chanu, 28, clinched the first gold medal for India at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022. Also, she won the silver medal at the 2022 world weightlifting championships in Colombia. Mirabai lifted a combined weight of 200 kg (87kg in snatch and 113 kg in clean and jerk) compared to Zhihua’s total of 198 kg (89kg in snatch and 109 kg in clean and jerk).

Shushila Devi

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27-year-old Sushila Devi from Manipur won Silver medal in judo at the Commonwealth Games in 2022. At the 2019 South Asian Games, she won Gold medal in the women’s 48 Kg weight class. Likmabam qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics as the lone representative for India in judo. She was conferred with the prestigious Arjuna Award 2022.

Nayan Moni Saikia:

Assam’s Lawn Bowls player Nayan Moni Saikia, 34, won Gold medal along with her three teammates in the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. In the Asian Lawn Bowls Championship, Saikia has won gold in women’s triples in 2017 and bronze in women’s fours in 2018.  She was conferred Arjuna Award in 2022 by the Central government.

Korouhanba Urungpuren

In 2022, 11-year-old Korouhanba Urungpuren from Manipur was selected for taking part in the 34 kg category of the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) World Championship. Korouhanba is a resident of Sagolband Tera Amudon in Imphal and the son of RK Napoleon.

Amlan Borgohain

Amlan Borgohain, 24, hailing from upper Assam’s Jorhat district, broke the national record in the men’s 100 metres race at the inter-railway athletics championships held at Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh in 2022 and became the fastest man in India. He broke the national record by clocking 10.25 seconds. At the 2022 edition of India’s National Games, he won the Gold in both 100 metres and 200 metres.

Jeremy Lalrinnunga

Jeremy Lalrinnunga, a weightlifter hailing from Aizawl in Mizoram – won the gold medal in the 2022 Common Wealth Games in the 67 kg category, with a game record lift of 140 kg in snatch and 160 kg in clean and jerk. He lifted a total of 300 kgs (140kg in snatch and 160kg in clean and jerk). Lalrinnunga represented India in the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires. He won the gold medal in the Boys’ 62 kg category 

Rasina Gowala

Rasina Gowala, a 20-year-old tea plucker from Maijan tea estate in Assam’s Dibrugarh won the hearts of the people by clinging Gold medal in the 11th South Asian Ashihare Karate championship at Chalsa in West Bengal. Rasina is a casual worker at Maijan tea estate in upper Assam’s Dibrugarh. Five neighboring countries participated in the event held at Chalsa in West Bengal in 2022.

Jamuna Boro

 Boxer Jamuna Boro, 25, from Assam bagged the silver medal in the 2022 Elorda Cup in Kazakhstan’s capital Nur-Sultan. Jamuna, who hails from Dhekiajuli in Assam’s Sonitpur district, won Gold medal at the 2nd India Open International Boxing Tournament in Guwahati. She won gold medal at the 23rd President’s Cup 2019 Boxing International Open Tournament in Labuan Bajo.  

Manoj Debnath

Arm wrestler Manoj Debnath clinched  Gold in both left and right hand in the senior men 63kg category of the Asian Arm wrestling Championship 2022 held at Selangor in Malaysia. Manoj, who hails from upper Assam’s Dibrugarh, was also selected for World Arm Wrestling Championship.

Boni Mangkhya

Boni Mangkhya, a weightlifter from Arunachal Pradesh, won the bronze model at the Khelo India National Ranking Women’s Weightlifting Championships. Participating in the 55 kg junior weight category, 18-year-old Boni lifted a total of 161 kg (71 kg in snatch and 90 kg in clean and jerk) to win the second bronze for Arunachal Pradesh in the championship.

Hima Das

Assam’s sprinter Hima Das, 22, clocked a personal best in the women’s 100m for the second time by winning the gold medal at the National Inter-State Athletics Championships 2022  held in Chennai. This has been termed to be a comeback for the sprinter as earlier she did not qualify for the Olympics.

Shiva Thapa

Shiva Thapa from Assam won a silver medal in the men’s 63.5kg category at Asian Boxing Championships 2022 in Amman, Jordan. He won the third and sixth silver in the prestigious tournament, which makes him the most successful male pugilist in the championships’ history. Thapa became the first-ever male boxer in the history of the Asian Championships to win six medals.

Surbala Laishram Devi

Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Surbala Laishram Devi from Manipur won Gold at the Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts (GAMMA) world championship. Surbala Laishram Devi became the first Indian fighter to win gold at the GAMMA world championship. She is a former junior kickboxing world champion and Jiu-Jitsu Asian open gold medallist.