Tokyo Olympics: Meet Shushila Likmabam, the only Indian representative in Judo

Shushila Likmabam, hailing from Manipur, will be the lone representative for India in Judo at the Tokyo Olympics. Here is what you need to know about the Judoka.

Early Career

Shushila was born in Imphal in 1995 and is the second oldest among four children. She started Judo after being inspired by her uncle Likmabam Dinit who was also an International Judoka.

After starting her career, Shushila went on to win many medals with the most notable one coming at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow where she won silver.

She is a two-time Silver Medalist at the Asian Open Championship as well. The Indian won her first silver at the Asian Open Championship in Hong Kong in 2018, a year after she joined the Manipur Police. She then followed it up by a similar performance in 2019.

In the same year of 2019, Shushila picked up a Gold Medal at the Commonwealth Judo Championship as well.

Qualifying for the Olympics

Shushila is the lone representative of India in Judo at the Tokyo Olympics.

Earlier, the Indian team was forced to withdraw from the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualifiers in Kyrgyzstan after two athletes tested positive for COVID-19. Everyone thought that India will not have a representative in Judo this time around but Shushila managed to qualify for the games through the continental quota. Currently ranked 46^th in the world, Shushila will be competing in the 48 Kilogram category at the event.

Shushila is also one of the five athletes from Manipur that have qualified for the Olympics as well.

"It's been a dream to go to the Olympics since I realized what a Games is after taking up the sport at the age of seven. My uncle Dixit Likmabam, who has been an international judo player, took me to Khuman Lampak (Sports Complex in Imphal) in December 2002. It still feels like something unreal (to have actually qualified for Olympics)," Sushila said about qualifying for the games [via TOI]

She further went on to add that she will be out there to prove her worth at the event.

"I would have qualified on merit, and I believe there would have been more judokas from India in Tokyo had it not been for this pandemic that hampered qualifying events and overseas travel. We missed three tournaments in the last two three months. In April, we had to withdraw just a day before the Asia-Oceania Olympic qualifiers in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, after two of our judokas tested positive. I can prove my worth in Tokyo and I am fully satisfied with my training and practice in the lead up to the Games," Sushila added.

What do you think the chances of Shushila are at the Olympics? Let us know in the comments below.

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