Kunjarani Devi

Last updated

Kunjarani Devi
Personal information
Full nameNameirakpam Devi Kunjarani
NicknameNameirakpam Jani Devi
NationalityIndian
Born (1966-03-01) 1 March 1966 (age 58)
Imphal, Manipur, India
Height148 cm (4 ft 10 in)
Weight48 kg (106 lb)
Sport
CountryFlag of India.svg India
Sport Weightlifting
Weight class48 kg
TeamNational team
Medal record
Representing Flag of India.svg  India
World Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1989 Manchester 44 kg
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1991 Donaueschingen 44 kg
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1992 Varna 44 kg
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1994 Istanbul 46 kg
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1995 Warsaw 46 kg
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1996 Guangzhou 46 kg
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1997 Chiang Mai 46 kg
Asian Games
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1990 Beijing 44 kg
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1994 Hiroshima 46 kg
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2002 Manchester 48 kg

Nameirakpam Kunjarani Devi (born 1 March 1966) is an Indian weightlifter. She is among the most decorated Indian sportswoman in weightlifting.

Contents

Background

Devi was born on 1 March 1968 at Kairang Mayai Leikai in Imphal, to a Hindu Meitei family. She started taking interest in sports while still in Imphal's Sindam Sinshang Resident High School in 1978. By the time she finished her graduation from Maharaja Bodha Chandra College in Imphal, weightlifting had become her first choice.

She joined the Central Reserve Police Force. She also went on to make waves in the Police Championships and captained the Indian Police team from 1996 to 1998.

Sporting history

Beginning 1985, she started winning medals, mostly gold, in the National Weightlifting Championships in 44-kilogram, 46-kilogram and 48-kilogram, the latter her final weight category. She created two new national records in Trivandrum in 1987. Changing her weight category to 46-kilogram she claimed a gold in Pune in 1994 but was relegated to silver when she tried to compete in the 48-kilogram class four years later in Manipur.

Her first World Women's Weightlifting Championship was the Manchester edition in 1989 and the reward of three silver medals buoyed her spirits considerably. Since then she has taken part in seven successive World Championships and with the exception of the Melbourne edition in 1993, she has won medals at every one of those competitions. However, she however could not get to the top spot, having always to be content with silver medals.

A bronze medal was the most she managed in the Asian Games at Beijing in 1990 and Hiroshima in 1994, and she failed to secure any medal in the 1998 edition of the Asian Games at Bangkok.

Kunjarani has had better luck in the Asian Weightlifting Championships to which she has been a regular visitor. Starting with one silver and two bronze medals in the 1989 edition in Shanghai, she progressed to three silver medals in the 44-kilogram class in the 1991 edition in Indonesia. She retained her second spot in the next one in Thailand in 1992 and China in 1993. Her best performance came in the 1995 competition in South Korea where she won two gold and one bronze in the 46-kilogram category. In 1996 she settled for two silver and one bronze in the championship held in Japan.

Recognition

She was a recipient of the Arjuna Award in 1990 and shared the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award with Leander Paes for the year 1996–1997. In the same year she also won the K.K. Birla sports award. The Government of India awarded her the civilian honour of Padma Shri in 2011. [1]

She has more than fifty international medals to her credit. She also won a gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne for 48 kg women's weightlifting with a Games record with an overall lift of 166 kg which included 72 kg in snatch and 94 kg in the clean and jerk.

Current status

N.Kunjarani Devi holds the rank of a "Commandant" and nodal officer of Central sports team in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). She was a member of the committee which was to recommend the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and Arjuna Award for the year 2014. She also was the coach of the Indian women's weightlifting team in Commonwealth Games 2014 in Glasgow.

Major results

YearVenueWeightSnatch (kg)Clean & Jerk (kg)TotalRank
123Rank123Rank
World Championships
2005 Flag of Qatar.svg Doha, Qatar 48 kg 7578 79795981007178.07
2003 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Vancouver, Canada 48 kg 7577.580697.5102.51054182.55
1999 Flag of Greece.svg Piraeus, Greece 48 kg 7580801095100105Silver medal icon.svg1805

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karnam Malleswari</span> Indian weightlifter

Karnam Malleswari is a retired Indian weightlifter. She is the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Olympics in 2000. In 1994, she received the Arjuna Award and in 1999, she received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, India's highest sporting honour, and the civilian Padma Shri award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pullela Gopichand</span> Badminton player

Pullela Gopichand is a former Indian badminton player. Currently, he is the Chief National Coach for the India national badminton team. He won the All England Open Badminton Championships in 2001, becoming the second Indian to achieve this feat after Prakash Padukone. He runs the Gopichand Badminton Academy. He received the Arjuna Award in 1999, the Khel Ratna Award in 2001, the Dronacharya Award in 2009 and the Padma Bhushan – India's third highest civilian award – in 2014. He is the only Indian coach to win the "Honorable Mention" by the International Olympic Committee at the 2019 Coaches Lifetime Achievement Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anju Bobby George</span> Indian athlete (born 1977)

Anju Bobby George is a retired Indian athlete. Anju Bobby George made history when she won the bronze medal in long jump at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris. With this achievement, she became the first Indian athlete ever to win a medal in a World Championships in Athletics jumping 6.70 metres (22.0 ft). She went on to win the gold medal at the IAAF World Athletics Final in 2005, a performance she considers her best. Anju was upgraded to the gold status from silver in the 2005 World Athletics Final in Monte Carlo following the disqualification of Tatyana Kotova of Russia by the International Association of Athletics Federations, following the recent re-testing of the latter's sample collected at the 2005 World Championship in Helsinki. She was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2002, Khel Ratna in 2003 and Padma Shri in 2004. She had got 5th position with personal best of 6.83 metres (22.4 ft) at the 2004 Athens Olympics. In March 2021, Anju won the BBC lifetime achievement award for best athlete in India. She is also the current vice-president of the Athletics Federation of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K. M. Beenamol</span> Indian athlete

Kalayathumkuzhi Mathews Beenamol, popularly known as K. M. Beenamol, from Kombidinjal, Idukki district, Kerala is an international athlete from India.

The Khel Ratna Award, officially known as the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, is the highest sporting honour of India. It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vijay Kumar (sport shooter)</span> Indian sport shooter

Honorary Captain Vijay Kumar Sharma, AVSM, SM is an Indian sport shooter. He won the silver medal in the individual 25 metre rapid fire pistol event at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Kumar hails from Barsar village of Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh and is a retired Subedar Major in the Dogra Regiment Indian Army, who was later promoted to Honorary Captain Rank. Vijay Kumar is supported by the Olympic Gold Quest initiative. He is the only Indian to have won a medal at 25m rapid Fire Pistol. He has been posted at Indian Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) Mhow since 2003 where he is being coached by the Russian Pavel Smirnov.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renu Bala Chanu</span> Indian weightlifter

Yumnam Renu Bala Chanu is an Indian weightlifter, hailing from Kyamgei Mayai Leikai village located near Imphal, Manipur. She secured a gold medal in the Women's 58 kg category at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manavjit Singh Sandhu</span> Indian sport shooter

Manavjit Singh Sandhu is an Indian sport shooter who specializes in trap shooting. He is a Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awardee in 2006 and Arjuna Awardee in 1998. He is a 4 time Olympian, having represented India at the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics, Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics the London 2012 Summer Olympics and the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics. He is former World No. 1 ranked Trap Shooter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akhil Kumar</span> Indian boxer

Akhil Kumar is an Indian boxer who has won several international and national boxing awards. He practices an "open guarded" boxing style. In 2005, the Indian government gave him the Arjuna Award for his achievements in international boxing. In March 2017, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, appointed Akhil Kumar along with Mary Kom as national observers for boxing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yogeshwar Dutt</span> Indian wrestler (born 1982)

Yogeshwar Dutt is an Indian freestyle wrestler. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he won the bronze medal in the 60 kg category. He was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2013. He won gold medals at the 2010 and the 2014 Commonwealth Games. He is one of only 5 male wrestlers in India to win an Olympic medal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ravi Kumar Katulu</span> Indian weightlifter (born 1988)

Ravi Kumar Katulu is an Indian weightlifter from Odisha. At the 2010 Commonwealth Games, he won a gold medal in the Men's 69 kg (152 lb) weightlifting category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bajrang Punia</span> Indian freestyle wrestler (born 1994)

Bajrang Punia is an Indian freestyle wrestler, who competes in the 65-kg weight category. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Punia won a bronze medal by defeating Kazakhstan's Daulet Niyazbekov with a 8–0 margin. Punia is the only Indian wrestler to win 4 medals at the World Wrestling Championships.

Sports in Andhra Pradesh has its own importance, where many sporting personalities were into limelight. The Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) undertakes the sports development activities such as construction of stadiums, establishment of sports academies and other sporting related activities. The sports infrastructure have increased tremendously by improving infrastructure in outdoor and Indoor stadiums, play fields, sports academies, sports equipments etc. Traditional sports such as kho kho, kabaddi are played mostly in Andhra Pradesh.Most sports players from Andhra pradesh represent national level competitions and very few international competitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deepa Malik</span> Indian paralympic swimmer, biker, and athlete

Deepa Malik is an Indian athlete. She started her career at the age of 30. She is the first Indian woman to win a medal in Paralympic Games and won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in shot put. She also won gold in the F-53/54 Javelin event at the para athletic Grand Prix held in Dubai in 2018. She is currently the world number one in the F-53 category. She has won accolades for her participation in various adventure sports. She is associated with Himalayan Motorsports Association (H.M.A.) and Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (F.M.S.C.I.). She has undertaken an 8-day, 1,700-km drive in sub-zero temperatures which included a climb to 18,000 feet (5,500 m). It was – Raid De Himalaya. This journey covers many difficult paths including remote Himalayas, Leh, Shimla and Jammu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saikhom Mirabai Chanu</span> Indian weightlifter (born 1994)

Saikhom Mirabai Chanu is an Indian weightlifter, supported by OGQ. Mirabai Chanu lifted a total of 201 kg, winning the gold medal at the CWG 2022. She won the silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the Women's 49 kg category. Mirabai Chanu has won the World Championships and multiple medals at the Commonwealth Games. She was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India for her contributions to the sport. She was awarded the sporting honour Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna by the Government of India in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M. Bimoljit Singh</span> Indian martial art athlete from Manipur

M. Bimoljit Singh, also known as Mayanglambam Bimoljit, is an Indian born Wushu player from Kakching, Thoubal district in Manipur. Awarded the Arjun Award in 2012 and Rajiv Gandhi State Award in 2011, Bilmoljit is also a two times Asian Games Bronze Medalist 2006 and 2010, and a two times National Gold Medalist.

References

  1. "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.