Aruncahal: Onam Gamno to represent India at World Armwrestling Championship to be held in Malaysia

A 25-year-old arm wrestler from Arunachal Pradesh, Onam Gamno who hails from Ngopok village of Mebo Sub-Division here in East Siang District is all set to represent India at the World Armwrestling Championship 2023 to be held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in between 25th September-1st October 2023.

Speaking to India Today NE, Onam Gamno said that she is preparing well to represent India at the World Armwrestling Championship 2023 to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from September 25, 2023.

Having started her arm-wrestling career in January 2022 barely a year ago besides working as a Nursing Officer at Guwahati-based Hospital after completing her B. Sc. (Nursing) from Northeast Nursing College of Health Science, Lekhi, Itanagar (Papum Pare district), Ms Gamno already won a couple of Gold medals. She stood in 3rd position in the All India Open Armwrestling Championship which was held on 26th November 2022 at Jorhat, Assam.

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“I got selected to participate in the national championship under the Board of Control for Armwrestling in India (BCAI) in the month of May 2023 in Bangalore and won two gold medals in both right and left hand under 52kg categories. As the gold medalist I have been selected for World Armwrestling Championship 2023 to represent India under the International Federation of Armwrestling (IFA) to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 25th Sept to 1st October 2023”, said Gamno. After doing my 10th and 12th (Science) standard from IGJ Govt. Hr. Sec. School, Pasighat during 2014-16, I did my B.Sc. Nursing from Northeast Nursing College of Health Science, Lekhi, Papum pare dist. And later after completion of my Nursing I was working as a Nursing officer in hospital Guwahati, she added.

While sharing about her interest in arm wrestling, Gamno said, ‘I have had an interest in arm wrestling since my childhood. I always used to play in classrooms or wherever I got a chance just for fun but never knew that I would be able to come this far. I started working out in the gym in 2021. Since then I gradually started knowing about arm-wrestling competition and its related opportunities nationally and internationally. I also did my Diploma in Personal Training and now I am working as a fitness trainer in the gym also, she added.

When asked about her vision and future plan, Gamno candidly said, ‘I want to start an arm wrestling training academy for my State. I have seen we have great potential in terms of sports and our genetics are the plus point that could outskirt us in national and international competition. But the main problem in arm wrestling is the skill, the technicalities. We are lacking in technicalities because of the non-availability of training centres, equipment, coach etc. We don't have a proper training centre for arm wrestling. So my vision is to create a training centre for arm wrestling, to provide proper coaching to our youths, to make them engaged in sport and along with that to build a great team in Arunachal Pradesh so that we could also make a count in national as well as in international games.

As a part of motivation to sportspersons like Ms Onam Gamno, the state government needs to come in support of youths like them by extending financial and other required logistic support so that they could bring more laurels to the state, said Mrs Susur Gamno, mother of Onam Gamno. Speaking to this scribe over the phone from Ngopok village, the mother of Onam said that they lack the financial to support her daughter and any support from the government and wellwishers would be a kind of helping hand to them at this hour.