All posts tagged: Judo

India’s first Asian judo medal in 13 years — and the blazer that finally got worn | Sports News

India’s first Asian judo medal in 13 years — and the blazer that finally got worn | Sports News

Published by Webster

3 min readApr 29, 2026 11:09 PM IST When Inunganbi Takhellambam locked in a chokehold against Mongolia’s Lkhavadulam Sarantsetseg in the bronze medal match of the Asian Judo Championships earlier this month, she was thinking about the match, not the history. The history came after. The 27-year-old from Manipur ended India’s 13-year wait for a continental judo medal. The last had come in 2013, when Angom Anita Chanu won bronze at the same tournament. Chanu is now a national team coach — and she travels everywhere with a blazer she has never had reason to wear. In judo, coaches wear tracksuits through the elimination rounds. The formal blazer comes out only for medal matches. “Pehle tournament se blazer leke jaa rahe the but pehenane ka mauka nahi mila tha (Since the first time I travelled with Anita mam, she had always carried a blazer but never got a chance to wear it),” Inunganbi said. “This time she asked me that should I wear it. I I told her — mam, you will wear it this …

Inunganbi Takhellambam, a blazer, a bronze, and a 13-year wait

Inunganbi Takhellambam, a blazer, a bronze, and a 13-year wait

Published by Webster

“Should I wear my blazer today?” Angom Anita Chanu had a solitary question for her ward Inunganbi Takhellambam, before her bronze medal bout at the 2026 Asian Judo Championships earlier this month. In judo, the coaches are required to wear business suits with a tie as they enter the arena for the final block matches or the medal matches. It is a major deviation from the early rounds, where they are allowed to enter wearing casual track-pants. Chanu’s question was out of the blue. But then, an Indian in the bronze medal match of the Asian Judo Championships is too. The last time an Indian medalled at the continental competition was 13 years ago, when Chanu herself returned with the gold medal in 2013. Takhellambam had no idea, and so it wasn’t a surprise when she was taken aback by the question. “I asked her jokingly, ‘Don’t you trust me?,’” recalled Takhellambam. “I will give it my best shot.” The 27-year-old Judoka did go all out in the contest against Mongolia’s Lkhagvadulam Sarantsetseg. She employed …

Takhellambam Inunganbi wins bronze at Asian Judo C’ships; ends 13 year drought | Sport-others News

Takhellambam Inunganbi wins bronze at Asian Judo C’ships; ends 13 year drought | Sport-others News

Published by Webster

2 min readApr 18, 2026 07:00 AM IST Indian judoka Takhellambam Inunganbi ended a 13-year medal drought at the Asian Judo Championships after winning the bronze medal in the women’s -70 kg category on Friday. The 27-year-old judoka’s bronze medal is the first medal won by an Indian at the continental championships after Angom Anita Chanu won a bronze in the women’s -52kg category at the 2013 edition held in Bangkok, Thailand. Competing in Ordos. China, Inunganbi defeated Mongolia’s Lkhagvadulam Sarantsetseg by ippon in the bronze medal match to secure her spot on the podium. She also had won the gold medal at the Amman Asian Open last year. She got a bye in the first round and started directly in the quarter-finals, where she lost to Uzbekistan’s Shirinjon Yuldoshova. However, as Yuldoshova reached the final, Inunganbi claimed her first win the repechage defeating Alina Moldokulova of Kyrgyzstan. After that, she claimed the bronze medal with a dominant win over the Mongolian. //www.instagram.com/embed.js India had another medal bout on the day but Yamini Mourya bowed down …

‘I don’t age, I level up’: Action star Chuck Norris celebrated 86th birthday practising Judo in last Instagram post

‘I don’t age, I level up’: Action star Chuck Norris celebrated 86th birthday practising Judo in last Instagram post

Published by Parlour News

Action icon Chuck Norris, known worldwide for his martial arts career and roles in films and television, passed away at the age of 86. The Norris family confirmed his sudden death in a heartfelt statement, saying he was surrounded by loved ones and at peace. Now, his last post, celebrating his 86th birthday, practising Judo, is being revisited by fans. Action star Chuck Norris died at 86. His family confirmed he was surrounded by family and at peace. Chuck Norris’ last Instagram post Just days before his passing, Chuck shared what would become his final post on Instagram, celebrating his 86th birthday. In the video, he is seen practising judo outdoors, a testament to his lifelong dedication to fitness and martial arts. “I don’t age, I level up,” he says in the clip, a line that reflects his enduring spirit. In the caption, he wrote, “I don’t age I level up. I am 86 today. Nothing like playful action on a sunny day to make you feel young. I am grateful for another year, good …

Khushi, Ahaana, Chandrika clinch boxing gold medals

Khushi, Ahaana, Chandrika clinch boxing gold medals

Published by Webster

Indian female boxers showed an impressive display at the 2025 Asian Youth Games, winning three gold medals in Manama, Bahrain, on Thursday. Khushi Chand (46 Kg), Ahaana Sharma (50 Kg), and Chandrika Pujari (54 Kg) won their respective finals in a dominating fashion to clinch the gold medals. Khushi and Chandrika delivered commanding victories over their Chinese (4-1) and Uzbekistani (5-0) opponents, while Ahaana inflicted three standing counts to secure a first-round RSC win against the North Korean boxer. In the boys’ category, India’s only finalist Lanchenba Singh Moibungkhongbam settled for the silver medal after losing his bout 0-5 to Kazakhstan’s Zhumagali Nurmakhan. India will have two more boxing finals in the evening session, where Harnoor Kaur (66Kg) and Anshika (80+ Kg) will compete for the gold medal against Kazakh boxers. India also holds medal prospects in other sports such as Beach Wrestling and Judo. In Beach Wrestling, five athletes have advanced to the semifinals, while three Indian judokas have also reached the semis. Disclaimer: We do not own any of the content, ideas, images, …

“There is no limit to what you can achieve”: Himanshu Nandal

“There is no limit to what you can achieve”: Himanshu Nandal

Published by Webster

From basking in the glory on the judo mat to creating waves in the swimming pool, Himanshu Nandal’s story is inspirational. A visually impaired para-athlete from Rohtak, Haryana, Himanshu is currently India’s top-ranked S11 swimmer—a classification for swimmers with very low or no vision. Himanshu was just three months old when his family noticed irregularities with his vision. A detailed check-up revealed optic nerve failure, which led to complete blindness. “Sports is the best thing that happened to me. I was always a fitness enthusiast and wanted to break the barrier that visually disabled people can’t excel in sports. That was all the more reason for my increased motivation,” Himanshu told The Bridge, in an exclusive interview. “There is no limit to what you can achieve, just keep exploring,” he added. Himanshu comes from a family deeply rooted in sports. His father, Balwant Singh, a former national hockey player, now serves with the Haryana Police. His uncle, Manjeet Nandal, finished fourth in judo at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Following his family’s footsteps, Himanshu took up …

India return empty handed from 2025 Asian C’ships

India return empty handed from 2025 Asian C’ships

Published by Webster

India returned empty handed from the 2025 Asian Judo Championships held in Bangkok, Thailand. A total of 18 judokas represented India in the continental competition but none of them finished on the podium. India’s best performance in the event came in women’s -52kg, where Shraddha Chopade finished fifth. Having received a first round bye in Pool A, Chopade beat Thailand’s Kanyawee Prasertsri in her first bout. Then Indian then lost out to UAE’s Khorloodoi Bishrelt in the final Pool A match. As Bishrelt moved into the semi-finals by winning Pool A, Chopade moved into the repechage rounds. Chopade beat Mongolian Uranzaya Bayanmunkh in the first repechage round to enter the bronze medal match. She went down to Yuanli Zhang in the bronze medal match to finish fifth. Elsewhere, Ashmita Dey (women’s -48kg), Shahin Darjada (women’s -57kg), Kumar Arun (men’s -77kg), Ishroop Narang (women’s -78kg) all finished seventh in their respective weight classes. Commonwealth Games silver medallist and the 2024 Paris Olympian Tulika Maan, meanwhile, lost her first round match in women’s +78kg Pool D and …

How Tulika Maan bounced back from Paris nightmare

How Tulika Maan bounced back from Paris nightmare

Published by Webster

At the Paris Olympics, Tulika Maan was India’s lone entry in judo. The 26-year-old had made it to the Olympic Games through a continental quota based on her rankings. But contrary to expectations, Tulika stumbled at the first hurdle. She was eliminated by Cuba’s Idalys Ortiz, a former two-time world champion and London Olympics gold medalist, in the +78 kg weight class. ‘Paris a nightmare’ The setback impacted Tulika mentally, and the former South Asian Games champion took a while to recover from it. “Paris was a nightmare. Things were not good. I had a fever and it took away everything from me. I had prepared so well in Valencia for the Paris Olympics,” Tulika told The Bridge ahead of the 2025 Asian Judo Championships scheduled from April 25-27 in Bangkok. “After my fight, I didn’t eat or even step out of my room. It took a long time to recover from the setback. In my mind I knew I had to bounce back and my friends pushed me. I stayed with them for a …

When grit turned children into champions

When grit turned children into champions

Published by Webster

Goldie Kumari was just 10 months old when she lost her mother and her left hand in an accident at the Bakhtiyarpur Railway Junction. Fast forward to earlier this month, at the World Ability Sports Youth Games held in Thailand, Kumari, now aged sixteen, won a gold and a bronze medal. On Thursday, a beaming Kumari was awarded the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar by President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre in New Delhi. Kumari was one of 17 children that received the country’s highest civilian honour for children, awarded annually by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. Seven of those awardees were recognised for their stellar achievements in sports. Here’s a look at their accomplishments. Anish Sarkar, Chess In November, this year, three-year-old Anish Sarkar became the world’s youngest-rated player, earning his first FIDE rating (1555). The child prodigy made his classical debut at the West Bengal U9 Championship in October this year and took on opponents that were over six years older than him. And yet, little Sarkar scored …

India finish 5th with 55 medals

India finish 5th with 55 medals

Published by Webster

Indian deaf athletes ended their campaign at the 2024 Asia Pacific Deaf Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with a fifth-position finish on the medal tally. India athletes won a whopping 55 medals which included: 8 gold, 18 silver, and 29 bronze. Iran emerged as the overall champion of the Games with 62 Medals, including 24 gold medals. Athletics emerged as a key contributor for India as five of the eight gold medals of the Indian contingent came out in this discipline. Vinith Mani led the way for the athletic contingent with victories in the men’s 400m sprint race and the mixed 4x400m relay event. Sameeha Barvin Mujib clinched the gold medal in the women’s 100m hurdles whereas the Indian women’s 4x400m relay team also topped the podium. Manikandan Ramaraj (long jump) and Versha Gulia (women’s shot put) bagged bronze medals in field events. In judo, India won five medals, including two golds by Milanmeet Kaur (48 kg) and Sakshi Bansode (57 kg). Nirchira, Rakesh Singh, and Sambid Das won bronze medals to add to India’s …