Nagaland’s Yoto Chizo earns spot in Indian team for 6th AIMAG

DIMAPUR — Yoto Chizo, a 22-year-old athlete from Phek district, has earned a spot on the Indian Muay Thai team and will be representing the nation at the Sixth Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) to be held in Thailand this November.

Chizo secured his place on the team with a decisive victory at the selection trials held in Guwahati on July 18, knocking out his opponent from Meghalaya in the very first round.

This achievement follows his recent gold medal win at the Muay Thai National Championship in Guwahati this past May, where he represented Nagaland.

Interestingly, Chizo told Eastern Mirror that his journey to the national Muay Thai team began with boxing. He won a gold medal in the sport at the 2022 Nagaland Olympics. However, citing limited opportunities in boxing, he made the decision to transition to Muay Thai.

The change from boxing to Muay Thai was challenging, he shared. However, he was determined to succeed and put in the hard work.

This led him to train rigorously for one and a half years at the Strike-Fit Academy in Dimapur.

Determined to be in peak form for the upcoming games, Chizo revealed his plans to travel to Thailand in September for further training. He will be competing in the 67-71 kg weight category.

The Sixth Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, scheduled from November 21 to the 30th, will be jointly hosted in Bangkok and the eastern province of Chon Buri, Thailand.