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The Hindu
21-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Khelo India Beach Games: After impressing at Asiad, Khushbu, Chaoba hope for Sepak Takraw's brighter future
'Inlog ka serve toh badhiyan hai! (The serves of these women are really nice). ' A group of onlookers commended the way a women's Sepak Takraw team was serving as compared to a men's team – both matches taking place on adjacent courts at the Khelo India Beach Games on Tuesday – before walking along the pathway by Ghoghla beach in Diu. Amidst all the women Sepak Takraw players at the Games, two athletes had the added distinction of winning bronze at the Asian Games 2022: Oinam Chaoba Devi and Khushbu. 'The beach makes it difficult to have a footing. Running becomes hard as the foot keeps going into the sand [laughs],' Chaoba told Sportstar shortly after one of her matches. 'There's a lot of hard work that goes into playing on the beach. Receiving the ball becomes uncomfortable,' Khushbu chimed in later in the evening. She also added how they can easily fight on the usual indoor and outdoor courts, ones they are used to, which she showed in China's Hangzhou in 2023 along with Chaoba and others. Life before and after Asian Games history Chaoba and Khushbu were members of the Regu team that won a historic bronze at the 2022 Asian Games – a first medal for the Indian women in the sport at the Asiad. The lives of both of them changed after winning the medal. ''What will she get by playing; for how long will she play?' were what people used to tell me. In 2007, I started training in the SAI (Sports Authority of India) centre in Manipur. We have a lot of facilities there. A lot has changed since. The Hangzhou Games were my third Asiad, and the first where I won a medal. Now, the people of my village speak a different language, encouraging me and telling me to continue playing. They surprise me at my home with garlands as well,' Chaoba, who began playing the sport in 2004, said. Oinam Chaoba Devi in action during a Sepak takraw match at the Khelo India Beach Games 2025 at Ghoghla Beach. | Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap/ The Hindu In Khushbu's case, the medal meant more people from her home State in Uttar Pradesh (UP) were made aware of the sport called Sepak Takraw. 'After I won the medal, people in UP got to know what the sport is. Very few people know about it. Many children don't know about it. I was called to different places for interviews as well.' However, this moment in India's Asian Games history wouldn't have happened if both of these players had stuck to their first sport of choice. ALSO READ: Stars align on Diu's shores for inaugural Khelo India Beach Games opening ceremony Hailing from a place far from Manipur's capital, Chaoba was interested in athletics. But people from her village didn't partake. Rather, they couldn't. The closest place with the facilities for athletics was Khuman Lampak in Imphal, which was very far from her home. A club located 15 minutes from her home is where she watched her seniors play the game. Proximity thus played a key role in Chaoba's tryst with Sepak Takraw. For school-going Khushbu, it was about being different. 'I initially thought of trying out hockey. But then I switched to this. At first, I couldn't grasp anything, but I stuck with my decision. I wanted to play a unique sport. It has given me a lot, mere ragg ragg mai bas gaya hai (It has become a part of me). Even when I tried to leave it, I couldn't.' A secure present, a hope for the future Having been around for more than two decades, Chaoba has seen the ups and downs of Sepak Takraw in India. The SuperSeries tournament in 2013 in New Delhi was the first international Sepak Takraw event in India in which Chaoba took part. This year's World Cup in Bihar was her second such tournament, where she even won two medals. 'In Bihar, the arrangement was quite nice. I had lots of fun there.' A ligament tear – a result of overexertion which began much before the Asian Games – didn't allow Khushbu to be a part of the home World Cup. Sepak Takraw is one of the several disciplines being played at the Khelo India Beach Games in Dui. | Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap/ The Hindu Nevertheless, the sport has helped them sort out their lives. After becoming an athlete under SAI, Chaoba clinched a gold medal at the 2011 National Games, which helped her get a job at the sports department of Manipur. This has provided her with a sense of security. Khushbu, now 29, also has a job at the paramilitary force because of the sport. Khushbu lauded the Sepak Takraw Federation of India's efforts to popularise the sport and hoped these would soon translate into it becoming a part of the Olympics. While she thought that the Indian women's team had massively improved in quality since the Asian Games bronze, Chaoba felt that more could be done to guide the upcoming generations. 'There's a need to create an academy from which players for the national teams can be developed. We have camps in Thailand, and we see their academies which are really good. We should have longer camps where players from all parts of the country, juniors or otherwise, come together to train for international tournaments.'
India Gazette
08-05-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
Hours after grand father's death, Ayush Kumar displays grit to inspire Bihar to historic Sepak Takraw silver
Patna (Bihar) [India], May 8 (ANI): It was a day of mixed emotions for Ayush Kumar, who showcased remarkable grit and determination as part of the Bihar team that underlined its rising stature in Sepak Takraw by clinching the men's team silver after going down 1-2 to powerhouse Manipur in a tantalising final of the Khelo India Youth Games 2025. Manipur girls ensured their dominance continued as they joined their State-mates on top of the podium after beating Kerala 2-0 in the summit clash. The final matches of the Sepak Takraw event, making its debut in the Khelo India Youth Games 2025 Bihar, were played in front of a packed crowd, reflecting the State's growing passion for the sport, which is now among its 14 priority disciplines. Ayush, a member of the third Regu in the team competition, competed despite suffering a personal loss earlier in the day with the passing of his 78-year-old grandfather. Standing firm in the face of adversity, he chose to continue until the very end of the competition. On the sidelines, his 19-year-old sister Khusbu, a Sepak Takraw player herself, tried to contain her grief while cheering for her younger brother. With teary eyes and a phone in hand to stay updated on the rituals back home, she managed to stay strong, often stepping aside to cry in private, just to ensure Ayush remained focused on the game. 'He (grandfather) was unwell for some time, was in the hospital for the last few days. We were expecting him to get better, but he passed away today. He was really close to both of us and today is probably the biggest day in Ayush's career so far,' said Khusbu. Born to an auto-driver from the city, Ayush and his sister started their journey in the sport only four years back but hope that the KIYG medal will not only inspire him but other budding athletes to take up Sepak Takraw as a career. Despite the personal setback, the 14-year-old Ayush Kumar managed to keep his emotions under check on the court, as the Bihar team came up with impressive performances throughout, to eventually finish a close second. The men's final witnessed a tantalising contest with the pendulum swinging till the final set of the third Regu. After Manipur comfortably took the first Regu, Bihar bounced back in style to win the second and take the contest to the decider. In the final Regu, Manipur came back from a 1-0 deficit to take the next two sets and eventually the top spot on the podium. In contrast, the women's final witnessed a one-sided contest with Manipur girls dominating the court throughout. Earlier, Manipur sailed into the final after getting the better of Andhra Pradesh 2-0 in the first semifinal while Kerala defeated Haryana by a similar margin to advance to the gold medal contest. Results: Men's team final: Manipur beat Bihar 2-1 (8-15, 15-8, 15-9) (11-15, 12-15, 15-11) (8-15, 8-15). Bronze medals: Andhra Pradesh and Delhi. Women's team final: Manipur beat Kerala 2-0 (15-4, 15-7) 15-7, 15-9); Bronze medals: Nagaland and Delhi. (ANI)
