It has been a long wait for me to corner an outstanding
sports person for my maiden interview. Friends, it's an honor to have
Ms. Tingongleima Chanu share few words about her life and love "Hockey"
with e-pao.
Also, she breaks the news of impending marriage publicly for the first
time to e-pao. Yes, she's getting married in March to Mr. Brajamani Singh
of Sagolband Khamnam Leirak, who is working in Bangalore for the Army
Service Corps. Let us wish the "to-be wedded couple" the very best and
May God bless them with eternal Marital bliss!
Following is the excerpts of her interview:
Introduction:
Ms.Tingongleima Chanu was born into the household of Kshetrimayum Tomba
and Mema Devi of Sagolband Moirang Hanuba Leirak. A blessed child indeed!
She's done not only her parents proud but also brought glory and fame
for the state and the nation as well. Let us salute this young achiever
for her "Arjuna Award, '01" and also for
her trail of achievements in the field of hockey.
Playing for:
Western Railway, Mumbai.
Position:
Goalkeeper
Major Awards conferred:
- Arjuna Award '01
- Shiv Sena Award '95, Mumbai
- Best Sportsperson NE, Guwahati '00.
Early years:
Ms.Tingong did her schooling from Modern Higher Secondary School, Sagolband.
Right since her childhood she had been a keen sports person and took active
participation at her school's sports meets. She won many prizes as well.
It was only by 9th Std that she started playing Hockey specifically and
seriously. Her talent was noticed and SAI selected her into their fold by
Feb 1991. She considers herself fortunate for this. She trained generally
for physical fitness at SAI. One of her sports teacher Mr. Yaima realized
her potential as a goalkeeper and encouraged her to take up the position.
Hurdles:
The major hurdle not only she but also her teammates in Manipur faced was
shortage of funds. They had to literally run from pillar to post for funds.
The Leikai clubs, associations and well-wishers used to contribute and sponsor
their trips for the tournaments outside the state. Her parents were also
financially not well off making it difficult to get even the kits. She remembers
even borrowing money on interest from moneylenders! Many a times they had
to do their own train bookings and also travel without reservations. In
fact, most of the time they had to forego their training just to collect
funds and hence their performance outside the states used to get affected.
She feels that with better funds and professional help, Manipur can discover
the wealth of talented young players.
Foreign players Vs India players:
Ms.Tingong says, that the Indian team is the best team skill wise. But the
foreign players has an advantage of better speed. This according to her
is because they had always been trained at "Turf" surface and hence they
are expert in "rolling". While the home team has been basically trained
on "grass" surface and hence tend to dribble a lot which decrease their
speed and is a kind of disadvantage. She feels that in order to beat the
foreign teams they need to develop "Speed", which will come only after being
trained only in the Turf, which is the standard surface internationally.
Her Strong points:
She says is her "Fighting Spirit" (no wonder
she sailed passed all types of hurdles to be where she is today!).
Countries she has been:
U.S.A., U.K., Germany, France, Holland, Australia, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia,
China, Korea, South Africa. (Phew!) and there are more to come.
Her words for the upcoming players:
Passion for the game. Sacrifice, dedication, discipline, concentration are
the ingredients to excel. Success, fame and money will follow later.
Her most memorable moment:
It was the moment the Indian team won the Silver medal in the 13th Asian
Games held in Bangkok. She says that "The pride and happiness that one feels
when the nation's tricolor flag is hoisted among the top 3 winners is the
most precious moments of my life". She plays to make her country proud and
no money or material can give her that kind of satisfaction.
Landmark years:
1991: Was the year she represented the state for the Junior hockey tournament. In May the same year she got selection for the Indian Coaching camp which helped set the ball rolling (literally) for her career.
1992: Her first International debut was in the Indian Junior team, in Malaysia for the Japan Test Series.
1993: She represented India in the Senior team for the Japan Tournament. The same year, the Sr. team won the Bronze medal at the Asia Cup.
1995: She came to Mumbai and played for Western Railway, who also offered her a job.
1998: The Indian Team won the Silver Medal at the 13th Asian Games held in Bangkok. This was the first time in her career that she felt "I did it!".
2001: She received the Arjuna Award.
2002: The year she will step into a new life. Yes! She is getting married in March.
What she would like to do for Hockey in Manipur:
She
would like to impart her skills and give training if any academy or a camp
invites her to help new and young players.
She would like to thank the people
of Manipur and to everyone (connected with her career) for their support,
love and honor that they have showered on her achievements. Also she would
like to thank the Sagolband United Club for giving her the support and backing
she needed in her early years.
The International Tournaments/Test Series that she has represented India in:
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