Sushila Chanu is an Indian field hockey player. She was the captain of the Indian National Women’s Field Hockey team. In 2023, she won the Arjuna Award, the second-highest sporting honour in India. She and her team won the bronze medal at the 19th Asian Games.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam was born on Tuesday, 25 February 1992 (age 32 years; as of 2023) in Imphal, Manipur. Sushila went to Lilashing Khongnangkhong High School in Imphal, Manipur. She completed her matriculation and Class XII under the Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education. She pursued a Bachelor of Arts at the Liberal College in Imphal, Manipur. In 2010, Sushila joined the Central Railway, Mumbai Division as a senior ticket collector.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 0″
Weight (approx.): 55 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Sushila’s father’s name is Pukhrambam Shyamsundar. He is a driver. Her mother’s name is Pukhrambam Ongbi Lata, and she is a homemaker. Sushila is a middle child. She has a younger brother and an elder sister who runs a beauty parlour.
Sushila Chanu with her parents
Address
Sion Railway Colony, Chunabhatti, Sion, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400022.
Career
Sushila enjoyed playing sports from a young age. She started playing hockey in 2003 when she was 11 years old. Once, she participated in a local sports event named the Yaoshang Sports event which led her uncle to enrol her in the Posterior Hockey Academy Manipur (PHAM) in 2002. Sushila performed well in tournaments such as the Inter-school National Tournament, Sub-junior National Tournament, and Junior National Tournament. Her performance led the Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy in Gwalior to select her to be a part of the academy’s first batch in 2006. The academy provided her with hockey training and education. In an interview, Sushila spoke about how she got into the game of hockey. She said,
In Manipur, there’s a five-day sports festival during Holi and I used to keep playing there as a child, some sport or the other…One day, when I was 11, my uncle told me I should focus only on hockey. It’s not like I liked one game more than the other. If he said boxing, I’d have done that, and I never asked him why hockey. Bas bol diya, toh main gayi khelne (He just said it, so I went to play.” [1]Scroll
Junior Career
From 2008 to 2013, Sushila played the position of halfback. Her first international game was the 2008 Women’s Hockey Junior Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur, where the Indian team won the bronze medal. However, in 2009, she was dropped from the team due to fitness concerns. During this period, Chanu completed her course at the Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy and joined Central Railways, Mumbai, as a Junior Ticket Collector. In 2013, she led the Indian junior team to a bronze medal at the Junior World Cup in Mönchengladbach, Germany.
Sushila Chanu (left) after winning the Junior World Cup in 2013
Senior Career
In 2014, Sushila joined the national senior women’s hockey team. She helped the team reach the semifinals of the 2014–15 Women’s FIH (International Hockey Federation) Hockey World League in Antwerp, Belgium. In 2016, Sushila was appointed as the national women’s team captain for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Sushila led the Indian hockey team to qualify for the Olympics after 36 years. However, at the Olympics, the team was eliminated at the group stage.
Team captain Sushila Chanu at the 2016 Rio Olympics
Sushila then suffered from a knee injury (an anterior cruciate ligament injury). Following this, she took a nine-month break after undergoing a knee reconstruction surgery before getting back on the field. Sushila then went on to help the Indian team win the gold medal at the 2017 Women’s Hockey Asia Cup.
Sushila Chanu (right) on the hockey field
She contributed to India’s success at the FIH (International Hockey Federation) Series Finals and the FIH Olympic Qualifiers in Bhubaneswar, India. Additionally, she played an important role in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She also played for India at the Women’s Asia Cup in 2021. Sushila reached her 200th international game while representing India at the FIH Women’s Hockey Pro League 2021/22, where India secured a bronze medal. Furthermore, she played a valuable role in the Indian team’s bronze medal victory at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham 2022. In 2022, Sushila participated in all the games at the World Cup held in the Netherlands and Spain. Sushila and the Indian team also won the bronze medal at the 2022 Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China. Sushila played the position of defender.
Sushila Chanu posing with the bronze medal that the Indian team won at the 19th Asian Games
Speaking of Sushila’s playing, former India men’s team captain Viren Rasquinha said,
She’s not the most skilful of players, not the most flamboyant, but she has impeccable positioning sense and very good work ethic. Sushila is the work-horse of the team. She’s the one ready to do the dirty work, she will mop-up, make interceptions, tackles, get the ball and pass it on to teammates immediately. She’s probably the most understated player in the team, but she’s a very important one. [2]Scroll.in
Ticket Collector Job
Sushila got her job in the Central Railway, Mumbai Division through the sports quota. Since she got in through the sports quota, she only works for half a day from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. She is allowed to take time off to attend camps and tournaments and has access to the Central Railway gym. Speaking of her job in an interview, Sushila said,
When you catch people without a ticket, they cry and plead. I thought I’d never enjoy that… But the job’s a necessity, so it’s something I have to do.”
Sushila Chanu doing her job as a ticket collector
Medals
Gold
- 2018: 8th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship held in Ranchi, Jharkhand.
- 2019: 9th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship held in Hisar, Haryana.
Sushila Chanu posing with the trophy after winning the 9th Hockey Indian Senior Women’s National Championship
Bronze
- 2013: Junior World Cup in Mönchengladbach, Germany.
- 2022: FIH (International Hockey Federation) Women’s Hockey Pro League 2021/22
- 2022: The XXII Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
- 2023: 19th Asian Games, Hangzhou, China.
Congratulations to our Women's Hockey Team on their remarkable achievement of winning the Bronze Medal at the Asian Games!
Their resilience, teamwork and passion have brought glory to the nation. pic.twitter.com/09OP0u2HDX
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 7, 2023
Awards, Honours, Achievements
- In 2021, Hockey India presented Sushila Chanu with the Most Midfield Interceptions award.
Sushila Chanu receiving the prize money for the Most Midfield Interceptions Award
- Sushila Chanu was awarded at the Hockey India 5th Annual Awards 2022 as Midfielder of the Year.
- Sushila Chanu received the Arjuna Award from the President of India Droupadi Murmu on 9 January 2024; the event was held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
Sushila Chanu while receiving the Arjuna Award from the President of India Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi
Tattoo
Sushila has a tattoo of the Olympic rings with the words “Rio 2016” and “Tokyo 2022” on her bicep. In an interview, she said that she got the idea for the tattoo from Olympic swimmers with the same tattoo. [3]Scroll.in
Sushila with her Olympic rings tattoo on her right bicep
Salary
As of 2016, Sushila was making Rs. 26,000 a month from her job as a senior ticket collector. [4]Hindustan Times
Favourites
- Hockey Move: Slap shot
- Workout Move: Leg Raises
- Dish: Eromba (Manipuri dish) made by her mother
Facts/Trivia
- Sushila’s jersey number is 27.
Sushila Chanu posing while wearing her jersey
- In an interview, Sushila mentioned that she loved watches. [5]Hindustan Times
- The player that inspires Sushila is former field hockey player, Gagan Ajit Singh.
- Sushila loves animals and has a pet cat.
Sushila Chanu with her pet cat
- Sushila follows a non-vegetarian diet.
A picture of Sushila enjoying a meal, as shared on her Instagram account
