Arunachal Arm wrestler Onam Gamno to represent India at World Armwrestling Championship in Kuala Lumpur

Arm wrestler Onam Gamno, hailing from Ngopok village in East Siang District of Arunachal Pradesh, is all set to represent India at the World Armwrestling Championship 2023, to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from September 25 to October 1.

Speaking on her preparedness, Onam said that she is preparing well to represent India at the World Armwrestling Championship.

The 24-year-old arm wrestler recently won two gold medals in both right and left hand under 52kg categories at the national championship under the Board of Control for Armwrestling in India (BCAI) in Bangalore in May this year.

Based on her achievement, she has been selected to represent India at the World Armwrestling Championship in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“I got selected to participate in the national championship under the Board of Control for Armwrestling in India (BCAI) in the month of May 2023 in Bangalore and won two gold medals in both right and left hand under 52kg categories. As the gold medalist, I have been selected for the World Armwrestling Championship 2023 to represent India under the International Federation of Armwrestling (IFA), to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from September 25 to October 1 2023”, said Gamno.

Sharing about her arm wrestling journey Gamno said, ‘I have had an interest in arm wrestling since my childhood. I always used to play in classrooms or wherever I got a chance just for fun, but I never knew that I would be able to come this far. I started working out in the gym in 2021. Since then, I have gradually started learning about arm wrestling competitions and their related opportunities nationally and internationally. I also did my diploma in personal training, and now I am working as a fitness trainer in the gym as well, she added.

When asked about her vision and future plan, Gamno candidly said, “I want to start an arm wrestling training academy for my state. I have seen that we have great potential in terms of sports, and our genetics are a plus point that could edge us in national and international competition. But the main problem in arm wrestling is the skill and the technicalities. We are lacking in technicalities because of the non-availability of training centers, equipment, coaches, etc. We don’t have a proper training center for arm wrestling. So my vision is to create a training center for arm wrestling, to provide proper coaching to our youths, to make them engaged in sport, and along with that, to build a great team in Arunachal Pradesh so that we could also make a name for ourselves in national as well as international games.”

The 25-year-old arm wrestler started her arm wrestling career in January 2022, barely a year ago.
She did her 10th and 12th (Science) standards from IGJ Govt. Hr. Sec. School, Pasighat, and did her B.Sc. Nursing from Northeast Nursing College of Health Science, Lekhi, under Papum Pare district in Arunachal.

She was working as a nursing officer at the Guwahati-based Apollo Hospital.

Gamno had won a couple of gold medals in arm wrestling. She stood 3rd in the All India Open Armwrestling Championship, which was held on November 26, 2022, in Jorhat, Assam.

Susur Gamno, mother of Onam Gamno, said that as a part of motivation, the state government needs to come forward in support of youths like Onam by extending financial and other required logistic support so that they could bring more laurels to the state.

Onam’s mother further said that they lack financial means to support her daughter, and any support from the government and well-wishers would be a helping hand to them at this hour.

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