Born into poverty in a nondescript village in Manipur, Commonwealth Games silver medallist weightlifter Chanambam Rishikanta Singh spent his training breaks working as a daily-wage labourer in agricultural fields and at construction sites to earn pocket money. Those years of hardship fuelled his determination to succeed on the biggest stage. Rishikanta's mother, Chandrajini Devi, played the biggest role in nurturing his sporting dream. She worked as a daily-wage labourer in agricultural fields near their home in Ngairangbam village in Imphal West district, around 15-20km from the state capital, while his father, Chanambam Irabot Singh, earned a living as a bus and truck driver.
"My mother earns on a daily basis. She works in agricultural fields for Rs 200-300 a day during the farming season and does other odd jobs at other times. Our father is a driver. We do not own even a single piece of farmland and it was always difficult to support a family of six. We lived from one day to the next," Rishikanta's elder brother Amarjit told PTI. "Luckily, Rishikanta got admission to the National Sports Academy at Khuman Lampak in Class VI. That was around 2008 or 2009, as far as I remember. It is a residential academy where both education and sports training are provided free of cost. But he still needed pocket money and never wanted to ask our mother because of the family's financial condition.
"So, whenever Rishikanta came home during the summer or winter vacations, he would work alongside our mother in agricultural fields and even at construction sites to earn his pocket money. The hardships he faced made him mentally stronger." Both of Rishikanta's parents are currently in Rajasthan with Amarjit, who is posted as an airman in Barmer district. Their father is undergoing treatment for an illness, the details of which Amarjit chose not to disclose. "We watched Rishikanta win the silver medal on television. It was the first time our parents had seen him compete live."
On Sunday, Rishikanta claimed silver in the men's 60kg event with a total lift of 264kg (121kg in snatch and 143kg in clean and jerk). He came agonisingly close to winning gold but had to settle for silver after a troublesome knee affected his final attempts. Nonetheless, the 28-year-old fulfilled his dream of becoming the first male weightlifter from Manipur to win a Commonwealth Games medal. Manipur has produced some of India's finest weightlifters, particularly on the women's side, with stars such as Mirabai Chanu and Kunjarani Devi bringing laurels to the country on the international stage. Rishikanta, who is currently serving in the Indian Navy and posted in Gujarat, has three siblings, with Amarjit being the eldest. He also has two sisters, one older and one younger than him, both of whom are married.
Interestingly, Rishikanta's first love was boxing, inspired by the exploits of Dingko Singh and later Mary Kom and Sarita Devi, sporting icons in Manipur. "His first love was boxing. We grew up hearing stories of Dingko Singh winning the Asian Games gold in 1998. But when the trials for admission to the National Sports Academy were held, he was selected for weightlifting. "For some time, he insisted that he wanted to pursue boxing, and as his elder brother I even pleaded with the authorities.
"But they told us he could not change his sport. So he took up weightlifting and gradually fell in love with it. Around five years ago, he told me he would become the first male weightlifter from Manipur to win a Commonwealth Games medal, and today he has fulfilled that dream. "His success is the result of perseverance, hard work and, above all, my mother's sacrifices. Her room at our house is filled with the medals he has won at the junior and senior levels."