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KOHIMA — From practicing and praying to win medals to participating for the first and not-so-first time, the winners of track and field events at Indira Gandhi Stadium, Kohima, shared their experiences after bagging medals at the North East Games 2024.
Hosted by Nagaland for the first time, the third edition of the North East Games is being held across the three districts of Kohima, Chümoukedima, and Dimapur.
From the total 15 sporting events, at least six disciplines have been staged at Indira Gandhi Stadium in Kohima, including discus throw, race, shot put, high jump, long jump, and cross country.
Athlete Moirangthem Ashni Chandra from Manipur, who is participating in the North East Games for the first time, emerged as the fastest sprinter in the region. He beat the last edition's (2022) fastest record by finishing the 100-metre race (men's category) in 10.52 seconds, 22 seconds earlier than the previous record.
"I am very happy that I got a chance to participate in the North East Games because this was my first competition," elated Moirangthem told Eastern Mirror. He claimed he never participated in any other tournament but got a chance to participate here.
The 21-year-old Manipur runner further shared that he would like to dedicate the win to his father, mother, sister, the Manipur Athletic Association Committee, and state officiating teams.
Neiketoulie Belho from Nagaland, who was awarded the 'best athlete' in the previous NEG edition, ended up in second place. Notably, his performance improved from finishing the 100-metre race in 10.74 seconds in the 2022 edition to 10.61 seconds in this edition.
Sharing his thoughts about the performance with this newspaper, he said he could not give the best performance. “I was expecting a gold medal but didn't get it. But I am happy, as I have bagged this medal by the grace of God,” he said.
He added that they were trained by coaches from outside the state and had been practicing for over a month.
Belho also participated in the 4x400 relay along with others and ended up in third place. He will be representing Nagaland in the long jump as well.
A prominent wrestler from Nagaland, Venuzo Dawhuo, bagged the lone gold for the state in Kohima on the first day at the discus throw. His distance record was 44.41m.
He said that his previous performance at the North East Games was "really bad," which was around 38m. The athlete attributed the win to God and added that without God, he wouldn't be able to secure the medal.
He mentioned that he is currently undergoing wrestling coaching at Kisama in preparation for the upcoming Naga Wrestling Championship, scheduled for March 26. He added that he came straight from coaching and secured the gold medal.
Tsolie Yhokha from Nagaland won a silver medal in the 1500-metre race in the men's category, finishing in 4.08 minutes, a shortfall of two seconds from first. In the previous edition, he came in fourth place in the 1500-metre race and third place in the 800-metre race.
To him, the win was a result of prayer.
"Before coming to participate here, I was praying to God to win a medal for Nagaland. Now, the prayer has been answered," he shared.
He added that he has been receiving coaching for one month under the Nagaland government and expressed gratitude to the state government for the opportunity. He will also be participating in the 5000-metre race on March 21 and cross country on March 23.
The 24-year-old Y Rimpi Buragohain from Assam bagged the gold medal in 100-metre race with a record time of 12.11 seconds. This was her third time participating in the North East Game.
She expressed happiness at the win and thanked Nagaland for hosting the event. She further dedicated her win to her coaches, saying they were the ones who helped her achieve it. She will also be participating in the long jump later.
Results
1st: Pahi Keot from Assam (4 minutes, 53 seconds)
2nd: Niansai T from Nagaland (4 minutes, 54 seconds)
3rd: Glorify Kurbah from Meghalaya (5 minutes, 28 seconds)
1500-metre race (men)
1st: Skhemlang Suba from Meghalaya (4 minutes, 6 seconds)
2nd: Tsole Yhokha from Nagaland (4 minutes, 8 seconds)
3rd: Naorem Tokiyo Singh from Tripura (4 minutes, 12 seconds)
100-metre race (men)
1st: Moirangthem Ashni Chandra - Manipur (10.52 seconds)
2nd: Neiketoulie Belho - Nagaland (10.61 seconds)
3rd: Arupjyoti Gogoi - Assam (10.77 seconds)
100-metre race (women)
1st: Y Rimpi Buragohain - Assam (12.11 seconds)
2nd: Fatema Begam - Tripura (12.19 seconds)
3rd: Diksha Chetri - Assam (12.54 seconds)
4x400 relay (men)
1st: Meghalaya
2nd: Manipur
3rd: Nagaland
4x400 relay (women)
1st: Assam
2nd: Nagaland
3rd: Meghalaya
Discuss throw (women)
1st: Mamata Doley - Assam (30.76 metres)
2nd: Yaman Bunyi - Arunachal Pradesh (27.51 metres)
3rd: Vilabeinu Machieo - Nagaland (26.78 metres)
Discuss throw (men)
1st: Venuzo Dawhuo - Nagaland (44.41 metres)
2nd: Madhujya Ndhara - Assam (41.20 metres)
3rd: Khundrakpam Singh - Manipur (40.20 metres)