Imphal: Manipur’s Linthoi Chanambam became the first Indian to win a medal at the Junior Judo World Championships, claiming bronze in Lima, Peru, on Tuesday.
The 19-year-old judoka beat the Netherlands’ Joni Geilen in the women’s 63kg bronze medal match. She secured her spot in the tie after coming up through the repechage route after earlier losing to Japan’s So Morichika in the group stage.
In the repechage round, Chanambam beat Slovakia’s Ilariia Tsurkan first before setting up the bronze medal match against Geilen.
After receiving an early penalty for blocking her opponent, Chanambam struck first with a strong tomoe-nage attempt that put Geilen on the defensive.
The match remained evenly contested until the final moments, when the Indian judoka executed a hold-down for ippon, securing a historic bronze medal for India.
In June 2025, Linthoi made history by becoming the first Indian judoka to win a gold medal at the Berlin Junior European Cup in the 63kg category.
This victory also represented a remarkable transition from her earlier success in the 57kg category, where she won the world title at the 2022 Cadet World Championships in Sarajevo.
She trains at the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) in Karnataka and began her judo journey at the age of eight in Mayang Imphal in Imphal West district.
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In recognition of her exceptional achievements in judo, Linthoi was awarded the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2024 by President Droupadi Murmu, receiving a medal and certificate for her outstanding contribution to Indian judo.
