A sixteen-year-old Thangjam Tababi Devi became India’s first judoka to win an Olympic-level medal with her silver in women's 44kg at 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. But three years on, the young girl from Manipur has left the sport and gone into oblivion. While, why she quit the sport is a different story, the baton has been passed on to another judoka from her native state who is leaving no stone unturned to create a watershed moment in Indian judo by landing the elusive Olympic medal at the senior level.
India's sole representative in judo in this edition of the showpiece event, Sushila Devi Likmabam is all set to make her debut in Tokyo Olympics in a week's time leaving all the adversities caused by the global pandemic behind.
Sushila, who competes in the 48kg category, qualified for her maiden Games via continental quota despite losing in the first round of World Championships held in Budapest last month. Asia received 10 continental slots each for men and women in judo for the Olympics and Sushila reached the seventh spot on the Asian list with 989 rating points.
The 26-year-old is elated to realize her dreams of making it to the sports' biggest stage but disappointment seeps in when she talks about the chances of direct qualifications missed due to Covid.
"It's been a dream to go to the Olympics since I realized what a Games is after taking up the sport at the age of seven. My uncle Dinit Likmabam, who has been an international judo player, took me to Khuman Lampak (Sports Complex in Imphal) in December 2002. It still feels like something unreal (to have actually qualified for Olympics)," Sushila said during a virtual interaction from Delhi, where she was based for a week-long pre-departure camp at Nehru Stadium before boarding the flight to Tokyo on Saturday.
"I would have qualified on merit, and I believe there would have been more judokas from India in Tokyo had it not been for this pandemic that hampered qualifying events and overseas travel. We missed three tournaments in the last two-three months. In April, we had to withdraw just a day before the Asia-Oceania Olympic qualifiers in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, after two of our judokas tested positive.
"I can prove my worth in Tokyo and I am fully satisfied with my training and practice in the lead up to the Games," Sushila sounded confident.
National head coach Jiwan Sharma, a 2018 Dronacharya Award winner, echoed his ward's views, saying, "It will be unfair to judge Sushila's recent performance without taking into account problems faced by her due to lockdowns, lack of practice and cancellation of tournaments. She will be an underdog in Tokyo but physically and mentally she's ready to give 100%. She has strong willpower, is technically sound and her body language is very positive. So, I expect a good performance from her. However, in sports, a lot depends on how you perform on a particular day."
Interestingly, this strong-willed sportswoman had to fight bouts of depression after missing the 2018 Asian Games with injury and it was Sharma who motivated Sushila back on the mat. Sushila shot to fame when she won the 2014 Commonwealth Games silver in Glasgow and set her sights on 2018 Asian gold but a hamstring tear led to her defeat in the Asian Games trials.
"It was devastating for me. I broke down, went back home (Heingang Mayai Leikai in Imphal East district) and literally didn't practice judo for about three months. It was Jiwan sir who used to call regularly to motivate me to come back and not lose hope. Sir persuaded me back into the fold and I won Senior Nationals (2019) in Srinagar and then silver in Asian Open Championship in Hong Kong and Commonwealth Judo Championship gold the same year.
"That phase actually made me mentally strong. It helped me fight the lockdown blues when I had to return home last year just before lockdown. I practised at home with local judokas to be in shape. Covid made things tough for us. It was very difficult to get a match, or practice, or a sparring partner in India," explained Sushila, who hasn't been home for more than a year now.
The month-long practice tour in Chateau Gontier, France, which ended in the first week of July, came in handy as she could finetune her skills under renowned French coach Rodrigue Chenet and also get some real practice with the relaxed Covid restrictions there. "I used to lack concentration due to uncertainty and neglected ne-waza techniques (ground techniques) before. But now I am more focused and mentally strong to face anyone," she said.
Sushila is raring to go at the Games and everyone is aware how her performance can inspire the next generation of youngsters to take up the sport in large numbers. "One Olympic medal can change the scene of Indian judo. We hope to break the jinx and inspire youngsters. In the next 5-6 years, India will produce many world-class judokas for sure," said Sharma, who has been coaching Sushila for over a decade, before signing off.
