Sanju Devi has returned home to Chhattisgarh with one of the biggest achievements of her career: an Asian Games gold medal. Yet, there was no overwhelming media frenzy around her return. The 2026 Asian Games champion came back carrying a medal that represents far more than a sporting victory. It represents years of travelling long distances for training, financial difficulties, limited facilities and a decision to pursue kabaddi when a more conventional career could have seemed safer. From Kerakachhar village in Korba district to the Indian women’s kabaddi team, Sanju’s journey has been built largely away from the spotlight. And perhaps that is what makes her story worth telling.
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From A Small Village To The Indian Team
Sanju grew up in Kerakachhar, a village in the Pali block of Korba. She first played kabaddi in Class 5 at her government school.
Initially, it was simply something she played for fun. There were few girls seriously pursuing the sport around her. Sanju herself has recalled that she had no role model to follow in kabaddi at the time.
Her professional journey began much later.
After completing Class 12 and getting selected for the district team, she started taking the sport seriously. In 2021, she began training with the Korba District Kabaddi Association under coach Anuj Pratap Singh.
Training itself meant travelling. Reports have put her daily journey from her village to Korba at around 90 minutes each way, meaning several hours could go into simply reaching the training ground and returning home.
For someone from a financially modest family, becoming a professional sportsperson was never straightforward.
Her Family Had To Put Her Dream Before Their Own Needs
Sanju comes from a family where money was limited. Her father, Ramji, was the family’s sole breadwinner, while her mother, Amrika, managed the household.
Sanju has spoken about how her parents continued to support her despite the expenses involved in pursuing sport.
Even when coaching was available, food, accommodation and other expenses still had to be managed. Her family often had to put Sanju’s requirements ahead of their own.
At one point, Sanju was also pursuing an ITI course while training. To manage both, she stayed in a hostel in Korba for part of the week and travelled back to Pali for her studies.
It was not a smooth sporting pathway. It was a constant balancing act between education, family circumstances and the chance of making it in sport.
Her First International Opportunity Almost Stopped On Money
One of the most revealing parts of Sanju’s story came when she received her first opportunity to travel overseas for an international tournament.
The problem was money.
She could not afford the passport and travel expenses required to take up the opportunity. Her coach, Anuj Pratap Singh, stepped in and lent her Rs 5,000 to help make the trip possible.
That small amount became part of a much bigger journey.
Sanju later moved to the Girls Residential Kabaddi Academy in Bahatrai, Bilaspur, where she received training, accommodation, food and other support.
The facilities gave her the chance to concentrate more fully on the sport.
Then Came The World Cup Breakthrough
In 2025, Sanju’s name moved beyond Chhattisgarh.
She was part of India’s victorious women’s team at the 2025 Women’s Kabaddi World Cup in Dhaka. In the final against Chinese Taipei, she scored 16 of India’s 35 points as India won the title.
Her tournament was so strong that she was named the Most Valuable Player.
That performance changed how the kabaddi world viewed her.
She was no longer simply the young raider from Korba trying to establish herself, she had become one of India’s important attacking players.
Sanju Devi also represented India at the Senior Asian Kabaddi Championship in Iran, adding another international title to her growing record.
And Then, The Asian Games
At the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, Sanju was part of the Indian women’s kabaddi squad defending its title.
India began its campaign with a 42-21 win over Bangladesh, with Sanju playing an important role in the attack and producing successful raids when Bangladesh attempted to fight back.
India eventually reached the final against Iran.
The match was close. Iran fought back strongly after India had established an early advantage. With the gold medal on the line, Sanju produced important points in the closing stages.
India won 37-34, retaining the women’s kabaddi gold at the Asian Games.
For Sanju, it was another major chapter in a career that had started on a school ground in a small Chhattisgarh village.
The Gold Medal, But No Need For A Grand Entry
What makes Sanju’s return home particularly striking is the contrast.
An athlete who has won the Asian Games gold, previously been named the World Cup MVP, and become one of India’s recognised women’s kabaddi raiders returned to Chhattisgarh without the kind of enormous public spectacle usually associated with a major sporting triumph.
There was no need for a grand spotlight to establish what she had achieved.
Her story already says enough.
Her achievement was recognised by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, who met and felicitated her at CM House in Raipur on September 28 and announced a Rs 51 lakh incentive for her.
The recognition also follows a Rs 50 lakh state incentive she received earlier in 2026 after her World Cup and Asian Championship performances.
But the medal itself tells a more personal story.
It takes us back to the girl who travelled for hours to train, the family that stretched its limited resources, the coach who helped her when she could not afford an international trip, and the athlete who kept competing despite not having the infrastructure available to many others.
Sanju Devi’s Story Is Bigger Than One Gold Medal
Sanju’s journey is not simply about winning another medal for India.
It is about what can happen when talent survives despite circumstances that could easily have ended the journey.
She started with a government-school kabaddi game in Kerakachhar and was trained with limited resources who had to travel long distances. Her family struggled to meet the costs. Her coach helped her cross financial barriers. A residential academy eventually gave her access to better facilities.
Then came the World Cup MVP award.
Then the Asian Games.
And now she is back home with a gold medal around her neck.
The attention may have been quieter than the achievement deserves. But Sanju Devi’s journey from Kerakachhar to the Asian Games podium is already one of the most compelling stories in Indian women’s sport.
Sometimes, the biggest sporting stories do not begin in stadiums filled with cameras.
Sometimes, they begin on a village ground, with a girl simply deciding to keep playing.