Linthoi Chanambam (Judoka) Age, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Profession	Judoka
Known for	Becoming the first Indian to win a gold medal across any age group at the World Cadet Judo Championship held at Arena Hotel Hills in Sarajevo, Bosnia in August 2022
Physical Stats & More
Weight (approx.)	in kilograms- 55 kg in pounds- 121 lbs
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Cricket
International Debut	Asia Oceania Cadet & Junior Judo Championship, Lebanon, Beirut (December 2021)
Coach	Mamuka Kizilashvili from Georgia
Medal(s)	Gold • 2018: Sub-junior National Judo Championship, Una, Himachal Pradesh • 2021: National Sub-Junior & Cadet Judo Championship, Chandigarh, Punjab • 2022: Asian Cadet and Junior Judo Championship, Bangkok, Thailand • 2022: Khelo India Youth Games, Haryana • 2022: World Cadet Judo Championship, Sarajevo, Bosnia Bronze • 2021: Asia Oceania Cadet & Junior Judo Championship, Lebanon, Beirut
Personal Life
Date of Birth	31 December 2006
Age (as of 2022)	16 Years
Birthplace	Mayang Imphal, Manipur
Zodiac sign	Capricorn
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Mayang Imphal, Manipur
Hobbies	Playing football, dancing to hip-hop music, and gardening
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Unmarried
Family
Parents	Father- Ibohal (a fish farmer and part-time mason) Mother- Guneshwori (a part-time tailor and homemaker)
Siblings	Linthoi has two sisters. [1]The Times of India

Some Lesser Known Facts About Linthoi Chanambam

• Linthoi Chanambam is an Indian judoka, who participates in the 57kg women’s category. In August 2022, Linthoi became the first Indian to win a gold medal across any age group at the World Cadet Judo Championship held at Arena Hotel Hills in Sarajevo, Bosnia. She defeated Bianca Reis of Brazil in the final match by 1-0 in the women’s 57kg category.

First ever world championship medal for India! 🇮🇳🥇 Gold for Linthoi!

“I cannot explain now how I feel but I know I’m very happy with this victory” – Linthoi Chanambam#JudoCadets #Judo #Sport #sarajevo #cadets #JudoKids pic.twitter.com/2YOFW7Pf3z

— Judo (@Judo) August 26, 2022

• Initially, Linthoi Chanambam was fond of football and boxing, and she started playing football and even tried boxing during her earlier school days. Linthoi’s father insisted her to make a career in Judo, as the sport was quite popular in her village. In 2014, Linthoi started training for judo. In an interview, Linthoi revealed the reason behind taking Judo and said,
  

  “I took up Judo in my childhood as I believed myself to be a boy and not a girl. And, as a kid, I hardly had friends who were girls. Most of them were boys. I always wanted to take up a sport like Judo from a very young age. In fact, I love boxing and football as well. But there were quite a few Judo academies near my home town. That’s what attracted me most about this sport and my family supported me from the very beginning,” ^[2]The Print

• In 2014, to learn the basics of Judo, Linthoi enrolled herself at Mayai Lambi Sports Academy, a local training academy in Imphal. In October 2017, to refine her techniques in a professional set-up, Linthoi started training at the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), a training centre in Bellary, Karnataka, which trains athletes in five Olympic sports- wrestling, boxing, judo, athletics, and swimming, and is led by the JSW Group. ^[3]The Times of India In an interview, Linthoi expressed gratitude towards her training institute and said,
  

  They spotted me and recruited me at the age of 11 and since then have taken extreme care of my diet, my training regimen and provided me with all the tools and facilities that I needed to be successful. I will eternally be grateful to JSW and IIS for all that they have done for me and I hope I can keep repaying their faith in me with medals,” ^[4]Times Now

• Linthoi was spotted by Mamuka Kizilashvili, the head coach of the judo programme at the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), Karnataka in 2017 in Telangana. Since 2017, she has been receiving training from her coach, Mamuka Kizilashvili, who is from Georgia. In an interview, Mamuka talked about Linthoi and said,
  

  I first saw her in Telangana. I was part of the talent identification development programme that unearths talented judokas from all over India. The first time I saw her, I instantly knew that she has something in her to become a world class athlete, although she was very young then.” ^[5]The Times of India

• In 2017, Mamuka Kizilashvili, coach of Linthoi, recommended her to the Sports Authority of India (SAI), and to support her, they started funding her. In an interview, she appreciated the efforts of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), and said,
  

  “SAI has always helped me and backed me with all my endeavours. I am extremely grateful for the unwavering support of Shri Sandip Pradhan and SAI. They can be attributed to the immense joy I feel for winning this gold medal.” ^[6]Daijiworld Media

• In September 2018, Linthoi participated in the Sub-junior National Judo Championship at Una, Himachal Pradesh.

• When the first lockdown was imposed amid COVID-19 in March 2020, Linthoi was stuck at her coach Mamuka Kizilashvili’s house in Georgia for about nine months. In an interview, she talked about staying with her coach’s family and said,
  

  It was a difficult time for the whole world, as it was for us too. But coach Kizilashvii’s family made sure that I was always happy, although I was far away from my parents and family,” ^[7]The Indian Express

• In November 2021, Linthoi took part in the National Sub-Junior & Cadet Judo Championship at Chandigarh University in Chandigarh, Punjab.

• In December 2021, she participated in the Asia Oceania Cadet & Junior Judo Championship in Lebanon, Beirut.

• In June 2022, Linthoi participated in Khelo India Youth Games in Panchkula, Haryana.

• In July 2022, she contested in the Asian Cadet and Junior Judo Championship in Bangkok, Thailand. and in August 2022, Linthoi took part in the World Cadet Judo Championship in Sarajevo, Bosnia.
  

  Linthoi Chanambam at Asian Cadet and Junior Judo Championship in Bangkok, Thailand

  

  Linthoi Chanambam at the World Cadet Judo Championship in Sarajevo, Bosnia

• In an interview, Linthoi revealed that during her childhood days, she used to beat up boys while growing up at her hometown, Mayang Imphal in Manipur. She said,
  

  I used to fight with them a lot and ended up injuring some of them as well. My parents had to take them to the hospital, at times,” ^[8]The Times of India

• In an interview, Linthoi revealed that she is inspired by Majlinda Kelmendi, who is a former judoka and judo coach from Kosovo, and she aspires to win a gold medal at the Olympics. She said,
  

  “There’s one player, she’s from Kosovo. Majlinda Kelmendi. She’s the first athlete from Kosovo to win a gold medal at the Olympics (2016). So, I want to be the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Olympics,” ^[9]WION

• In an interview, Linthoi, on becoming the first Indian to win a gold medal at the World Cadet Judo Championship 2022, expressed her excitement and said,
  

  I really don’t have the words and cannot explain how I am feeling right now. I only know that I’m very happy with this victory, and I hope to build on this,” ^[10]Olympics.com