Lovely Choubey is a well-known Indian Lawn Bowl athlete. In 2022, she participated in the Commonwealth Games, which were organised in Birmingham, England, and on 2 August 2022, she, along with her teammates created history by winning a gold medal in the final event of the Lawn Bowl.
Wiki/Biography
Lovely Choubey was born on Sunday, 3 August 1980 (age 42 years; as of 2022) in Ranchi, Jharkhand. Her zodiac sign is Leo. Lovely Choubey was a 100m long jump athlete before shifting to Lawn Bowl sport. She suffered hip injuries in long jumping so she moved to lawn Bowls. She practised rigorous long jump training to win the competitions as she wanted to financially assist her family. Her father was a fourth-class employee in a mining company in Ranchi who did not afford the expenses of her game. Consequently, she quit the long jump due to severe injuries. She was then invited to try out lawn bowls by the then cricket umpire of Bihar, Madhukant Pathak.
An Image of Madhukant Pathak
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 5″
Weight (approx.): 74 kg
Hair Colour: Dark Brown
Eye Colour: Brown
Family
Parents & Siblings
Her father is a former employee at Central Mine Design Limited, Ranchi, Jharkhand. Her mother is a homemaker.
Husband
She is married, and her husband’s name is Arvind Singh.
Career
Lawn Bowls
In 2008, Lovely Choubey participated in a National Lawn Bowls championship and won a gold medal. After this win, she was felicitated with an amount of Rs. 70k from the state government. According to her, this financial award encouraged her to pursue the sport with more dedication. In a media interview, she stated that she entered Lawn Bowls in 2008. She said,
I got into Lawn Bowls in 2008 after leaving athletics. I won Rs 70000 in a national event and told myself I could continue with this.”
She then participated in an Asia Pacific Lawn Bowl tournament and clinched a gold medal in mixed pairs in 2013. In 2014, she competed n Women’s Triples and Women’s Fours events in the Commonwealth Games, which were organised in Glasgow, and she was ranked in 3rd Pool and 4th Pool in the respective events. She then participated in the 10th Asian Lawn Bowls Championships and won two silver medals in Women’s Pairs and Singles events. In 2018, she participated in the Commonwealth Games held at Gold Coast, Australia and finished in fifth place in the event. In 2022, she participated in the Commonwealth Games held at Birmingham. During the games, Lovely Choubey, along with her three teammates Nayanmoni Saikia, Pinki Singh, and Rupa Rani Tirkey, clinched a gold medal after winning the finals against South Africa. They defeated the New Zealand team in the semifinals and entered the finals on 1 August 2022.
Lovely Choubey with her teammates after winning gold at CWG 2022
Government Official
Lovely Choubey began working as a constable with the Jharkhand police since she earned numerous gold medals for the state and country.
Facts/Trivia
- Lovely Choubey is associated with the RK Anand Bowls Green Stadium in Ranchi for regular training in Lawn Bowls.
- Once, Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni paid a visit to her training centre in Ranchi, where he met Lovely and her teammates. Dhoni revealed in a conversation with Lovely that he liked playing Lawn Bowls during his visits to Australia. In a media interview, Lovely said that her coach and Dhoni knew each other very well. She said,
Dhoni sir knows our coach in Ranchi and has come to see us at the greens twice over the years. We have a Dewri Mata temple closeby, when he goes there he comes to see us as well. We had a chat about the sport as well. He said whenever he is in Australia he goes to play Lawn Bowls.”
Lovely Choubey shares a connection with Mahendra Singh Dhoni
- She received her initial Lawn Bowls training at the Bowling Federation of India.
Lovely Choubey at the Bowling Federation of India
