36th National Games: Manipur lad wins Gold in Skateboarding

Chingangbam Ranju of Kongpal Kongkham Leikai in Imphal East won gold for street skateboarding at the recent 36th National Games.

Chingangbam Ranju | Northeast Live

Manipur is often called the ‘sports powerhouse’ of India. However, the lack of basic sports infrastructures and facilities in the state is most of the time overshadowed by the fame and moniker of ‘sports powerhouse’.

The same is evident for the small skating community in Imphal. Once treated as a public nuisance, skaters from Manipur are now winning gold at the national level.

However, a lot has to be done if the state wants to continue winning at national or international events.

Chingangbam Ranju of Kongpal Kongkham Leikai in Imphal East won gold for street skateboarding at the recent 36th National Games held in Gujarat.

Ranju is now a glimmer of hope for the small skating community in Manipur, to make their presence felt and for necessary infrastructures to come up.

Northeast Live caught up with Ranju as well as the skating community during their routine practice at Khuman Lampak Sports Complex, a place from where they were chased away in the beginning.

From bruises to medals, Ranju has seen it all, the young skater dreams of proper infrastructures and facilities for skateboarding, especially a dedicated space and a skatepark in Manipur.

Meanwhile, the team leader of Manipur Extreme Sports and Skate Association, Ruben Wahengbam lamented that the state has so much potential yet so little in facilities and infrastructures.

He said talents may go to waste without support, and hopes that the government will soon come up with a skate park to cater to the needs of the small yet dexterous skating community in Manipur.

Also Read:

COMMENTS

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment *

Name *

Email *

Website