From Penury To Stardom : Inspiring Stories Of The Chanu Brigade And Other Champs
Behind every medal there are selfless siblings, families
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 07 2010: The caption of this story perhaps tells it all.

Besides the sweat and grind that the three women weight lifters from Manipur had to undergo to stand tall on the podium of the ongoing Common Wealth Games, there was a common figure, who came in the form of their sisters, who encouraged them and put in all the efforts to provide the much needed support, financially besides motivating them.

Gold medallist in the 58 Kg weight category Yumnam Renubala, Atom Sandhyarani who won the Silver in the 48 Kg category and Sonia Chanu, who won the bronze in the same category share a common background, like many other outstanding sports-persons, Manipur has produced down the decades.

(L to R) Common background, common dreams Renubala, Atom Sandhyarani and Sonia Chanu

All the three come from poor families and from the rural areas and it required not only their determination, discipline and dedication to come this far, but also a support system, which came in the form of their siblings and family members.

Five time world boxing champion, MC Mary Kom is another example, and so is Ng Dingko Singh, who was brought up in an orphanage and won fame by bagging the boxing gold in the Bangkok Asian Games in 1998 .

Talking to The Sangai Express, gold medallist, Yumnam Renubala, who is employed in the Railways as a Clerk and hails from Kyamgei Mamang Leikai said that she is the second youngest among eight siblings including four girls and four boys and none of the family members, including her parents had regular income, when she took the first step towards weight lifting as a career.

"While my zeal to pursue weight lifting as a career was high, I had to undergo a lot of mental tension in deciding whether to proceed to SAI, Lucknow or not in 2000.Were it not for my elder sisters, who extended their moral and financial support, my dream would have remained unfulfilled," said Renubala.

Her elder sisters managed to support her financially through the meagre income they made by weaving clothes.

Renubala said that she judiciously used the Rs 1500/ sent every month by her sisters to SAI, Lucknow.

"It was due to the support of my sisters, the blessings of God and coaches that I have come this far, besides winning the gold medal four times in a row at the sub-junior National Championship till 2004," she said.

Thereafter she went on to scale greater heights and won her first gold in the 2006 Melbourne Common Wealth Games.

Getting a clerical job in the Railways has certainly gone a long way bin easing the financial burden of the family, she conceded and added, "My parents were at the games venue when I won the gold while my sisters talked to me over the phone and showered blessings so that I can scale greater heights in the Guangzhou Asian Games later this month and London Olympics in 2012." Sonia Chanu, who is presently employed as a Sub-Inspector in the Uttar Pradesh Police Department also had a similar story of hardship, coming as she is from a more than humble background.

Her story comes close to Renubala's as it was her elder sister who supported her financially during her training days in Uttar Pradesh.

With seven children, her parents found it hard to financially support her.

A resident of Lilong Haoreibi Mayai Leikai in Thoubal district, she said, "My elder sisters were so encouraging and supportive that they became my biggest motivators," she said.

After getting a job in Uttar Pradesh, through the sports quota, Sonia is now in a position to return the favour, by supporting her younger sister to undergo nursing training at Hyderabad.

Her younger sister is today working as a nurse in a private hospital in New Delhi.