“Before I got into sports as a teenager, I worked as a helper at a local dhaba, washing utensils and carrying water apart from working at construction sites to earn extra money for the family. My father, Irabot Singh Chanambam, worked as a taxi driver, and things were so bad that we could afford only one meal a day. I remember eating rice or wheat flour balls without any vegetables, which my mother, Chandrajini Devi Chanambam, used to make. For over three months, I worked for Rs 150 per day to support my family. And today, as I was having dinner with the silver medal still in my pocket and seeing the kitchen staff work, I was reminded of all those days. This medal is for people like me, who have had no support and had to share the burden of their family,” shared an emotional Rishikanta while speaking to The Indian Express from Glasgow.

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The path from the quaint Imphal village to the Commonwealth Games podium began almost by chance.

At a village fair, a sports teacher noticed the wiry youngster. Then 12, Rishikanta, who mostly played football, appeared for trials at the SAI academy at Khuman Lampak Stadium. He was shortlisted for both boxing and weightlifting before then coach S Brojendra Singh — current secretary of the Manipur Weightlifting Association — made the final call.

“When Rishikanta came to the trials, he was very thin, but his muscles were very strong. I could see the willpower in his eyes, and he took up weightlifting with natural ease,” remembers coach Singh.

The stadium, which had nurtured champions such as Mirabai Chanu, also gave Rishikanta something he had never taken for granted — regular meals. “Training at the sports complex meant that I did not have to worry about meal time during the time of training. I would visit the local sports shops to get the local shoes and belts modified with stuff from discarded belts or shoes,” shared Rishikanta.

Rishikanta Singh in action. (PTI Photo)

New lease of life

After turning 18, Rishikanta stepped away from the sport for nearly a year. With the family still battling financial hardship and no job or financial security in sight, he stayed home, convinced his weightlifting journey had ended.

“I was demotivated. My family would talk about all the hardships and how those who could afford it could not win medals, and we did not have any idea about a job through sports. It was when the then Manipur Weightlifting Association secretary, Sunil Elangbam, called me and asked me about my training. I told him that I had left weightlifting due to my family’s financial condition and that I was not eligible for the SAI Academy. Sunil sir told me about the newly opened Weightlifting Centre of Excellence in Takyel in Imphal, and I gave the trials and was selected for that. It was like a new life for me,” remembers the weightlifter.

The second chance transformed his career.

Rishikanta became national champion in the men’s 55kg category in 2019 before winning gold at the Commonwealth Championships in Samoa later that year. The same season also brought him financial security through a job with the Indian Navy.

On Sunday, Rishikanta became the first male weightlifter from Manipur to win a medal in the Commonwealth Games. He knows how he is going to celebrate the medal. “I will hand this medal to my parents and my brothers and sisters who always believed in me. When I started earning, I also made a point to help youngsters in whatever way I could so that anybody can become like me. And I plan to do it this time too.”

There is, however, one phone call he wants to make before anything else.

“When I worked at the dhaba, I had a friend who has now shifted to Guwahati. I will call him and tell him about this medal. I also hope that the dhaba owner will tell his customers that a Commonwealth Games medallist once washed dishes in his kitchen.”