Manipur’s Leishangthem Sarita wins gold at open bodybuilding competition

Imphal: Manipur’s Leishangthem Sarita won a gold medal at the 12th Federation Cup, Senior Men’s and Women’s Bodybuilding and Men’s and Women’s Physique Sports Championships held at Nainital in Uttarakhand from April 15 and 16th.

Engudam Kavita Chanu, another athlete from Friends Fitness Gym, Tera in Manipur’s Imphal West district won the second position while third position went to an athlete from Jharkhand in the women’s open bodybuilding competition.

Sarita is an athlete of Royal Fitness Academy (RFA), Thoubal, according to General Secretary Yumlembam Sunanta of All Manipur Body Builders Association (AMBBA).

This is the fifth time Sarita, a resident of Thoubal Wangma Taba college road in Thoubal district, won a gold medal in the senior women’s open category of the national competitions.

Sarita, who won four gold and one silver in the national championships (December 2015 to March 2017),had also won seven medals(four silver and two bronze) when she participated in nine international competitions(2014-2018) in Bhutan, China, Mongolia, South Korea, Thailand and Uzbekistan. Sarita also won six gold, four silver and one bronze in state championships (2012-2022).

When asked why she chose bodybuilding, Sarita who is currently serving as a trainer at RFA Thoubal, said, “I started playing from 2012 onwards to lead a healthy life.”

The seven-member AMBBA team was accorded a warm welcome when they arrived at Imphal airport on Monday.