From poverty to international Wushu prodigy: The story of Y Sapana Devi

Y Sapana Devi could quit the sport if she doesn’t get a job soon

When you ask someone in India about the sport of Wushu, their generic reaction is a clueless expression with frequent relations to Chinese proverbs. However, the sport has slowly but surely carved out its own niche across various parts of the country.

First introduced in the Asian Games in 1990, Wushu is the only martial art form which involves both combat and exhibition. It demands more than just strength and flexibility from an athlete. The player must have the finesse to showcase their ability with the absence of an opponent. India has won three medals (two silver, one gold), since its foray into the professional realm.

One particular state, which has showcased immense prowess in Indian Wushu’s short history is Manipur. Apart from being a popular sport at the grass-root level, it has produced a total 23 national team players to represent India, about 60 % of the total combined contingent.

Humble beginings

One such aspiring athlete is Y Sapana Devi, who represented India at the 2014 Asian Games held in South Korea. She grew up in the village of Keirao Awang Leikai, around 200 kms from Imphal. Within a span of six years, the 22-year old has gone from Wushu illiteracy to worldwide recognition.

Born to a single mother, Devi was one of seven children in her household. She said,” I come from a very poor family, my mother works at a village grocery store. My father died at a very early age, so she was the only source of income. So, I knew there was a lot of responsibility on me to get a job and earn money for the family. But I believe, my performances in the sport will one day pay all my family bills.”

Devi never even heard of Wushu until the age of 16. She began her career in gymnastics, before transitioning to the art-form. She said, “I used to practice Gymnastics in my village, this is when I saw some people learning Wushu, I got interested and tried it out. Surprisingly I wasn’t that bad. After practicing several times, I realised how difficult it was. But my time as a gymnast helped in some of the disciplines such as Changquan. So, it was an obvious choice.”

Having represented Manipur gymnastics in various youth levels, Devi’s transition to Wushu was quite progressive. Her first major victory came in 2008, when she won two gold medals at the 8th junior national championships in Bhopal. In 2009, she won bronze at the World Martial Arts Games. Two years later, she again won bronze, but this time at the World Junior Wushu Championship.

The third placed finish at the junior Worlds in Singapore raised several eyebrows within the Wushu fraternity, including positive comments from Chinese Coaches. She said, "China is one of the strongest wushu nations in the world, their coaches came and told me that I had talent and also gave me advice on how I could get better."

After impressing in various junior national and international tournaments, she finally got a call-up for the National Games in 2014. It is at this point that Devi took baby steps to earning the title of ‘prodigy’.

She won one gold and three silver medals, being adjudged as the best female athlete in Wushu. Her performances also coincided with Manipur’s domination of the event. They ranked first, winning five gold medals in the sport.

She said, “Wushu is very popular in Manipur simply because it’s more than just a sport for a lot of people. It can also be considered exercise in daily lives. It’s played in most villages and the state associations are very strong. What we need now is for the Sports Ministry to allow us to get jobs. Once we have a regular salary it will help us to perform better.”

Her splendid performances earned her a call-up to the national team for the Lusofonia Wushu Championship held in Goa. She defeated world number 12, Lei Weng Si of Macau by two points, to announce herself to the world. Another three silver medals later, Devi was being watched by every country for her unique style in the Changquan event.

Despite bringing international laurels, I‘m still not paid: Devi

Despite such good performances, she was initially ignored by the National Wushu selection committee for the 2014 Asian Games. While taking part in the National Wushu camp in Sports Authority of India (SAI) Bhopal, she wrote to the National association, asking them why she was not included.

The Sports Ministry reviewed the selection, and Devi was included in the squad immediately. She said, “I don’t understand why someone would make such a mistake. But still I did manage to go the games. I learned a lot from the event.”

Despite such strong performances, Devi is struggling in her day to day life due to lack of finances. She added, “My mother has been an inspiration for me and she has funded my career so far. But I come from a poor background, so it’s important that I start earning money from Wushu as well. The central government, not the state government, provide jobs to Wushu players. If Wushu players were just given jobs, their performances would have been much better. I have a big family, and it will be easier to take care of them. If I don’t start earning soon, I might have to quit the sport.”

Devi was recently felicitated in Imphal for her recent performances. She has now set her sights at winning gold in the next edition of the Asian Games. She said, “My immediate goals are to put Manipur on the national map. There are several athletes from the state, who are doing really well. I want to start earning for my family and win the World Championship.”

With Manipur’s Arambam Boby recently lifting the Mr World title, the state has been consistently performing world class athletes. Maybe it’s about time they are rewarded with what they deserve. A job for starters!