Raipur, March 28
Days before Arunachal Pradesh weightlifter Anai Wangsu was to fly out to Raipur for the inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games 2026, she had to be admitted to the hospital as her chronic gastric issues had flared up once again. She had to be put on intravenous fluids to regain strength, but a few days later, the weightlifter won a gold medal in Chhattisgarh.
The 21-year-old has been battling chronic gastric issues since 2019, and the illness strikes without warning, bringing weakness, dehydration, and extreme fatigue. In a sport like weightlifting, physical strength and balance are crucial.
But undeterred by the ailment, Anai Wangsu was back in training the very next day after being discharged, as she was keen to change the narrative of near misses in her career.
"I had won bronze and silver medals in the past, and everyone in my family kept asking me when I would win a gold medal. Now, everyone is happy that I have finally achieved that goal," Anai was quoted by SAI Media after grabbing the women's 58kg gold in Raipur on Friday.
In the past, Anai had won a pair of bronze medals in the youth nationals. She secured silver medals at different Khelo India Games, including the Khelo India University Games in Rajasthan in 2025. But the gold medal always remained just out of reach.
At last year's All India University nationals, Anai missed gold by a single lift as the one-minute time limit ran out. The pain of that moment still lingers. "I cried a lot that day. It felt like all my hard work had gone to waste," she recalled.
Belonging to the Wangcho tribe, Anai's journey in weightlifting was driven by her elder brother Sinchad Bansu's dream, who is himself a former national-level weightlifter working with the Arunachal Pradesh Police force.
Sinchad took Anai to a Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Itanagar for trials, hoping she would achieve what he could not. Initially disinterested, Anai gradually embraced the sport, and it soon became her goal.
"The weightlifting and boxing arenas were in the same hall at the SAI Centre. It was also the time when the Mary Kom movie was released, and I felt I wanted to become a boxer. But my brother talked me out of it and helped me focus on weightlifting," said Anai, who was soon selected to join NCOE, Lucknow, for advanced training.
However, the COVID pandemic meant that she had to return to Arunachal Pradesh, where a lack of proper nutrition and resources led to gastric problems that have only aggravated over the years.
"I work very hard, but sometimes my health suddenly deteriorates. I don't understand why my body stops supporting me," Anai said, adding that the gold medal here has given me the confidence that all that hard work isn't going in vain.
- IANS
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