In a cricket crazy nation, lawn bowls is a niche sport that many Indians are not aware of. Now four incredible women athletes, Lovely Choubey, Rupa Rani Tirkey, Pinki and Nayanmoni Saikia, have brought the sport much-needed attention by winning a historical gold medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham.
This is India’s first-ever medal in lawn bowls, a sport which has been part of the CWG itinerary since 1930. India started participating in the event since the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
The sport has now been popularised and millions of Indians are looking up the rules of lawn bowls. The Indian women's fours team defeated powerhouses South Africa to register the historic feat. However, it's been a long journey for the four women who have been playing the sport for over a decade.
A look at the four incredible athletes who made India proud.
Lovely Choubey: Lead
Age: 42
Lovely Choubey was born in Ranchi, Jharkhand. She completed her high school education from the Jharkhand Board of Education, and she currently works as a cop in the Jharkhand police department.
This year marks her third Commonwealth Games since she stepped on the field at the RK Anand Bowling Green in Ranchi. Lovely was also a silver medallist in the sport at the Asian Championships.
Rupa Rani Tirkey: Skip
Age: 34
Rupa Rani Tirkey was also born in Ranchi, Jharkhand where she completed her school education from St. Aan’s Girls High School. She pursued graduation from Gossner College, Ranchi and is currently employed as a District Sports Officer in the Department of Sports, Jharkhand since 2020.
She had represented India at three Commonwealth Games before this year. As a Skip, Rupa is the last to bowl and she is pretty active at shooting instructions at her teammates from a distance before her turn.
Pinki: Second
Age: 42 years
Pinki was born in Delhi where completed her schooling from the Salwan Girls Public School. She graduated from Kamala Nehru College and pursued a sports degree from Delhi University and a sports diploma from SAI Patiala.
She is currently working as a physical education teacher in the Delhi Public school RK Puram. It was there she was introduced to lawn bowls as Delhi Public school had made a lawn bowl green as a practice venue for the Commonwealth Games 2010.
Nayanmoni Saikia: Third
Age: 33
Nayanmoni was born in Golaghat district of Assam in a middle-class family. Her father works as a farmer and her mother is a housewife. She began her career in lawn bowl in 2008 and has been working for the Assam Forest Department since 2011. Nayanmoni has won two gold medals in lawn bowls in the Asian Championships before this year’s Commonwealth Games.
(Edited by : Sangam Singh)
First Published: Aug 5, 2022 3:24 PM IST
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