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Fifteen-year-old Manipur Wushu player Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu, who created history by winning India's first-ever Wushu medal at the Youth Olympic Games 2026 in Dakar, Senegal, has set her sights on gold in her next outing, saying she would learn from her mistakes and work harder to achieve the top podium finish.
She scored 18.039 points overall, finishing third after an impressive comeback, with 8.723 in Gunshu (staff routine) and 9.316 in Changquan (long fist). Born to a driver of a logistics company and an artist at Manipur Dramatic Union, Raj Kumar Arun Singh and Raj Kumar Ongbi, as the second daughter of the two siblings, a resident of Heirangoithong Ahongshangbam Leikai and presently shifted to Kakwa Nameirakpam Leikai, Thongju Part - II, Imphal East District. Lalchebi started her sporting career in gymnastics in 2017 and won her first Bronze medal in the State Level Gymnastics Championship under the Sub Junior category in 2019. Later, she switched to Wushu in 2021 and won several medals in World Championships held within the country In her first participation in the International arena, she represented India in the Youth Olympic Games and won the first-ever medal for India in the Wushu Games. Speaking to ANI, Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu expressed happiness over winning bronze at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, dedicating the achievement to her coaches and family for their support and motivation. She said she had hoped to win gold or silver but made mistakes that cost her a higher finish, adding that she would work harder to win gold next time. "I am very excited because I won a bronze medal at the first Wushu Youth Olympic Games in 2026. I want to dedicate this to my coaches and my family, because they give me a lot of motivation and support. I thought I would win the gold or silver. I made some mistakes, which is why I got the bronze medal. Next time, I will do my best and bring home the gold medal, she said. Behind every athlete who represents the nation lies a story of sacrifice, struggle and unwavering family support. Speaking to ANI after his daughter Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu won a bronze medal, her father Rajkumar Arun Singh opened up about the financial challenges the family faced in sending their daughter to the international sporting event. He further said the cost of sports attire, equipment and other necessary preparations was considerably high. Coming from an economically disadvantaged family, arranging the finances to send their daughter to such a prestigious international competition was a major challenge. "When it comes to finances, we practically have nothing. I earn around 10,000 to 12,000 rupees from my work. From that, we have to run the household, support my daughter, and manage everything. Before travelling for tournaments, we borrowed money from people and asked around. Some gave willingly, but since repaying the money takes time, we hesitate to ask again, and people also don't lend easily. Financially, it is too difficult to even put into words, he said. Despite the difficulties, her father expressed his gratitude to the coaches and the government for their support. Support is provided from the government's sidetravel expenses and airfare are covered by the association, the Indian federation, and SAI. However, the money is not always provided on time. We are poor people; with a monthly salary of just 12,000 rupees, how can a family survive? Commodity prices and fuel costs are sky-high right now, so there are severe hardships, he said. Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanu's father expressed immense pride and happiness over his daughter's bronze medal win, saying she had become the daughter of the entire nation. He recalled watching the medal-winning moment on his mobile phone while on duty and said he was overwhelmed with joy. He added that the family was ready to make every sacrifice to support her ambition of bringing glory to the country, inspired by her determination and her coach's encouragement. "I cannot express it in words; I am very happy. Right now, she is not just my daughtershe has become the daughter of the entire nation; she has become everyone's daughter. For me, I only gave birth to her, but in my heart, I feel immense pride for her. We dont even have a TV at home, so I watched it on a mobile phone, he said. "At that moment (of Rajkumari Lanchenbi Chanus medal win), I went completely wild with joy. I was on duty at the time. I was driving when the result was announced. I went completely crazyI didn't know where to go or where to stop. My colleagues held onto me, gave me a glass of water, and said, 'Calm down, brother, stay calm. Nothing will happen. Your daughter has made a name for India! What has gotten into you?' That's what they were saying to me," he added. Yet, driven by my daughters determination and the encouragement of her coach, we cannot just sit idle. By any means necessary, we want our daughter to bring glory to Mother India. No matter what we have to do, we will do it. For my daughter, we are ready to sacrifice everything," he added. (ANI)
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