Arunachal Pradesh has strung together one of its busiest fortnights in individual combat sports, with athletes from the state picking up medals in judo, karate and ju-jitsu, a Paralympic selection for a global grand prix, and a world title in mixed martial arts — all inside a matter of days in mid-July.
Lap becomes first Arunachal judoka to medal at Asian level
Kentu Lap, a judoka from the Mishmi community, won bronze in the under-60kg category at the Asian Cadets & Junior Judo Championships in Amman, Jordan, held from July 16 to 19. He beat I. Shamsov of Tajikistan in the bronze-medal contest. The Arunachal Judo Association said Lap is the first judoka from the state, and from the Mishmi tribe, to win a medal at the championships. He returned to Tezu on July 21 to a welcome from clan members, student unions and well-wishers, who received him with traditional scarves and garlands at TCP near the Army Camp.
Talik and Mangkhiya deliver at South Asian karate championships
At the South Asian Senior Karate Championships in Dhaka, Khyoda Talik won gold in both the individual kata and team kata events, while Johny Mangkhiya took two silver medals, in the +68kg female kumite and the team kumite. Chief Minister Pema Khandu congratulated the pair, tying their performance to the state government’s CM Athlete Coaching and Empowerment Scheme (CM ACES), which funds training for promising athletes.
A ju-jitsu bronze, a Paralympic call-up and a world MMA title
Langkung Rade added a bronze in the men’s -69kg fighting category at the Ju-Jitsu World Championship in Greece. Separately, sprinter Tingong Wangpan was selected by the Paralympic Committee of India, after clearing selection trials, to represent the country in the men’s T35 200m and 400m at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Mexico. In mixed martial arts, Arunachal’s Sonam Zomba became the first-ever Karma Fight League (KFL) world strawweight champion.
Taken together, the results mark one of the more concentrated bursts of international recognition for Arunachal Pradesh’s individual sports scene in recent memory, spanning four disciplines and three continents’ worth of competition venues within roughly two weeks.
Compiled from:
- The Arunachal Times — “Sporting glory”
- The Arunachal Times — “Lap wins bronze at Asian Cadets & Jr Judo C’ships”
- Arunachal Observer — “Asian Judo Champ medallist Kentu given grand welcome”
- Arunachal Observer — “South Asian Sr Karate Champ | CM congratulates Talik and Mangkhya for their triumph”
This report has been independently compiled and rewritten by the Sentinel NE Desk from the sources above. Names, results and dates have been cross-checked across multiple outlets.
Image credit: Tezu, Lohit district — file photo. Credit: 2006nishan178713 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).