In the heart of Bihar, far from their hometowns in the Barak Valley, Aprince Sinha, M Abhijit, and H Manganthoiba walked into the spotlight. Representing Assam, the trio, born to Manipuri families settled in Hailakandi and Cachar, carried expectation and pride on their shoulders. A tale of courage under pressure unfolded. Among the trio, H Manganthoiba is an athlete of Khelo India Centre, Hailakandi Assam. The team was led by the coach Bindumukhi Singha, posted as a Past Champion Athlete (PCA) in Khelo India Centre, Hailakandi, Assam.
Up against a formidable Bihar side on its home turf, Assam had no crowd, no backing—only the bond and belief. The first game saw Aprince and Abhijit explode with energy and precision, taking it 15-9 with clinical play. The second game, however, was a battle of nerves as Bihar came back fighting, pushing the contest to a decider.
At 15-all in the decider, every serve felt like a final breath. But the Assam duo didn’t blink. With composure forged from years of practice and passion, it eked out the last two points to seal the gold, though the home lads saved two match points with great defence.
Inspired by his sister A Priya Devi, who represented India at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, Aprince found his calling early. When his father first took him to the court, he didn’t just pick up a sport—he picked up a dream.
Abhijit, too, comes from a Sepak Takraw family. His elder brother, M Premchandra, has competed at the national level, making the path clearer but no less demanding. And then there’s Manganthoiba, the quiet force, whose steady presence in the final grounded the team when pressure peaked.
Together, they showed what happens when personal passion meets collective purpose. No celebration was louder, no smile wider as Bihar suffered a second consecutive jolt barely minutes after the women’s team settled for the silver.
