The 19-year-old Linthoi Chanambam from Manipur scripted history again by clinching a gold medal at the Berlin Junior European Cup 2025 last night, becoming the first Indian judoka to win gold at the prestigious international tournament, paving her steps closer to the 2028 Olympics.
Linthoi defeated Jaelynn Chipan of France in the -63 kg category with a stellar performance that brought immense pride to the nation and the state.
Earlier, Linthoi also brought India’s first-ever gold medal in Judo in the World Judo Championships—Cadets, 2022, Bosnia. Her list of gold medals includes the 2022 Asian Cadet and Junior Championships in Bangkok. She first rose to national prominence with titles at the 2018 Sub-Junior Nationals and the 2021 Senior Nationals in Chandigarh.
Linthoi Chanambam hails from a farmer’s family in Mayang Imphal of Manipur and has trained at IIS since 2017 under Georgian coach Mamuka Kizilashvili.
