Inunganbi Takhellambam trapped her opponent’s neck with her right arm before placing her leg across her abdomen. She then caught her left leg before perfectly rolling her body to execute the neck choke. The opponent, gasping for air, had no option but to tap herself multiple times, signalling submission.
All of this happened in 13 seconds.
Inunganbi was ecstatic after defeating Mongolia’s Lkhagvadulam Sarantsetseg in the women’s -70kg bronze medal match at last month’s Asian Judo Championships in Ordos City, China.
As the series of events unfolded, Angom Anita Chanu got up from her seat in the coach’s corner, clapped delightfully and soon, briefly lifted the 5’6” Inunganbi in her arms. The Manipuri duo now shared India’s two most recent medals at the continental event - 13 years apart.
Inunganbi kept her promise to Chanu. Before the all-important fight, Chanu had asked her, “ Blazer pehnu ya na pehnu (Shall I wear the blazer or not)?”
For context, unlike the round-robin stage where they can be in a track suit, medal matches in judo require the coach to wear a blazer.
“She has accompanied me in previous competitions too. Everytime, she brought the blazer but never got to wear it since I used to lose in the first round. This time, I told her to trust me and promised that I’ll give my 100 per cent,” says the 27-year-old Inunganbi in a virtual interaction facilitated by the Sports Authority of India.
A journey of ups and downs
Inunganbi grew up in Tiger Camp, a village in Imphal East district of the northeastern state, as one of the six children of T. Nabakumar and Ibechou Leima.
Her father, a multipurpose hall worker in the state’s health department, had played volleyball at the university level but no one in her family had been a professional sportsperson.
A young Inunganbi used to play football as a recreational activity but Nabakumar wanted her to look at other options. One day, in 2007, he took her to the Khuman Lampak Sports Complex in Imphal, to meet his childhood friend, Deben Moirangthem, who later became Inunganbi’s adiguru (foundational coach).
“While leaving home to go to the sports complex, I thought I’d pick boxing or weightlifting because at that time, Mary Kom was famous in Manipur for boxing while Kunjarani (Devi) Ma’am was a popular weightlifter,” recalls Inunganbi.
But when she saw Deben’s judo class, her mind changed. “When I saw judo, I liked it as some seniors wore black belts while some had white. They used to do rolling and cartwheeling. Before judo, I knew cartwheeling as I used to do it in my village fields. Since I knew that, I picked judo as I thought that was easy. I had no clue that judo involves throwing, choking and locking,” she says.
Deben remembers that meeting with the judoka-in-making from two decades ago. He saw potential based on certain cues. “She had long limbs and good body structure. At that time, she was quite young but I could sense that she could fight in the middleweight category at the international level. The way she spoke also told me that she wasn’t afraid. She was courageous,” Deben explains to Sportstar.
Deben taught her the basics of the combat sport under the Regular Coaching Centre scheme of the Manipur government. However, he was also aware that for her further development, she had to move to the National Sports Academy (NSA), situated in the same complex. It made sense financially too.
“That sports complex is around 18km from our home. So, the daily journey was a problem. I requested Deben to get her admitted to the NSA,” mentions Nabakumar.
In 2008, after passing the selection trials, Inunganbi joined the NSA to train under Khaidem Gunamani, an experienced coach who has guided multiple Olympians.
“I trained her according to her height and weight. Since she had long legs, I focused on her leg techniques - O uchi gari (major inner reap) and Osoto gari (large outer reap) - and when to apply which one. Also, Seoi Nage (shoulder throw) is my favourite technique. Most people know about standing Seoi Nage but my students also know about kneeling Seoi Nage (where the attacker drops to their knees to get under an opponent’s center of gravity),” Gunamani, who coaches Inunganbi for five years, tells Sportstar.
Towards the end of 2014, Inunganbi moved to SAI Imphal to train under Sabitri Devi after which she found her first breakthrough as she made it to the national cadet team.
In 2017, the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) in Bellary picked her through a talent identification programme. Since then - except for a brief but fruitful period when she moved to SAI Bhopal and also became a Khelo India Athlete - Inunganbi has been honing her skills under the watchful eyes of coach Jiwan Sharma.
As a junior, she had a decent career in the -63kg class. She grabbed a bronze in the Commonwealth Championships (2019) and also came fifth at the Asian Juniors (2017) and Asia-Oceania Juniors (2019). But a major setback forced her to switch her category when she shifted to seniors.
In 2018, she sustained an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury in her left knee during a national camp for Asian Juniors and ultimately, had to go under the knife.
“At that point, my body was like a pencil and I had no clue how to train in the gym. After a year-long rehab, I came back and made it to Asian Juniors again. It was tough as the recovery depends a lot on body structure,” recalls Inunganbi.
When she moved to the senior stage in 2021, she was forced to shift to the -70kg category which was a new challenge for her and like a true champion, she found a way to tackle it.
“Due to surgery, I couldn’t reduce weight and hence, I couldn’t stay in the -63kg category. But I also couldn’t reach 70kg. I used to weigh 66-67kg. People who fight in the -70kg class usually weigh 72-73kg and cut weight to compete. So, throwing them is tough for me since they are heavier. That’s why, I have used ground techniques and won quite a few times,” she says, the win over Sarantsetseg being the latest example.
Success after multiple failures
Like most Indian judokas, Inunganbi found the transition from juniors to seniors tough. From 2022 to 2024, she could win only one fight on the international circuit.
It didn’t help that she injured the same knee again in June of 2024. But this time, she was ready to recover due to prior experience. “I did rehab for 5-6 months. During that time, I didn’t practise judo. Only gym and physiotherapy. I still have a metal plate in my knee due to a meniscus issue,” she reveals.
The time away from the mat also allowed her to marry Ashish Kumar Chaudhary, a boxer who represented India at the Tokyo Olympics (2021) and the Commonwealth Games (2022), in November. The two had met during Ashish’s visits to IIS when he was not in the national camp.
She returned to action at the National Championships in January 2025, representing her new home state of Himachal Pradhesh, after just 15 days of judo practice and won her third straight national title.
She also clinched a silver at the 38th National Games but didn’t make the cut for the Asian Championships. “It made me realise that the competition in India is also tough. So, I have to make the most of the opportunities,” says Inunganbi.
And she did. She won the title at the Amman Asian Open and finished runner-up at the Hong Kong Asian Open later in 2025.
This year’s Asian Championships began, unfortunately, on a familiar note for the judoka but with a hint of optimism. Her first match, the quarterfinal against Uzbekistan’s Shirinjon Yuldoshova, ended in a defeat but only when it went to golden point (the score was 0-0 after the regulation time of four minutes).
She got a second chance through repechage and made it count as she defeated Kyrgyzstan Alina Moldokulova 1-0 before crushing Sarantsetseg with an Ippon.
The feat immediately led to celebrations amongst her in-laws but it wasn’t the same case back home in Tiger Camp. “They (her in-laws) know about sports and are really supportive but the celebrations took some time in Manipur. Even the internet was disabled due to tensions in the region. That’s why my parents couldn’t even watch my fight. They thought my win was similar to the Amman Open. Later, they realised that it was at an Asian level so they were really happy,” says Inunganbi.
Even to talk to her soon after the biggest moment of her career, Nabakumar had to find another way. “When she received the medal, she tried to call us on WhatsApp but I didn’t have the internet. Near my house, there is WiFi. So, I went there, sat and waited for her call,” he says.
“Finally, she called and said, ‘ Papa, hum jeeta hai. Bronze mila hai (Father, I won the bronze medal).’”
While she represents Himachal Pradesh now, her home state wants to honour her for her glorious achievement.
“We met her father recently and even asked to receive her and felicitate her. Our sports minister also wishes to honour her and celebrate her achievement. She can’t come right now since she is training but in the first week of June, she might come to Imphal and then, we will celebrate her achievement,” says Indrakumar Soibam, Secretary of the Manipur Judo Association.
Mission CWG and Asian Games
Having tasted such success for the first time, Inunganbi is hungry for more with the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games scheduled to be held later in the year.
“I never thought that I could win a medal at a major competition since I always used to lose in the first round. That leads to frequent breakdowns. The mind tells you that you can’t do it. But after this medal, I have received a huge confidence boost that yes, I can do it. It is not like my opponents are stronger than me,” she says.
Chanu, who was more happy about Inunganbi’s medal than her own from 2013, feels the judoka has what it takes to do well at the two big events.
“If she can not only maintain the level she showed at the Asian Championships but also improve further, then she has high chances of winning a medal at CWG and Asian Games,” says the Arjuna Awardee Chanu.
The preparation begins soon as Inunganbi will next compete in a Grand Slam event in Kazakhstan (May 8-10). IIS will also be sending her for a training camp in Japan after which she will compete in the Qingdao Grand Prix (June 26-28) in China and the Taipei Asian Open (July 11-12) before leaving for CWG in Glasgow.
Published on May 02, 2026