INDIAN TEAM WON BRONZE MEDAL IN WOMEN’S RUGBY

INDIAN TEAM WON BRONZE MEDAL IN WOMEN’S RUGBY

11-AUG-ENG 1

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

PATNA--------------------------Bihar has once again made the whole country proud from the sports field! The Indian women's team has performed brilliantly and won the bronze medal in the 'Asia Rugby (Under-20) Championship-2025' organized for the first time at the state-of-the-art State Sports Academy-cum-Bihar Sports University campus located in Rajgir. This is not only a great achievement for Indian rugby, but also a historic moment for Bihar, which has proved its sporting prowess by successfully hosting this prestigious international event.

16 national youth teams from across Asia participated in this championship which ran from 9 to 10 August 2025. Rajgir International Sports Complex, which is part of Bihar Sports University, has established itself as a world-class sports center by hosting this grand event. Rugby India President Rahul Bose himself has said that Bihar has “rapidly emerged as one of the most promising states for rugby development in India”. The event has proved to be an important step towards promoting sports culture in Bihar and encouraging young talent.

The Indian women's rugby team impressed everyone with their determination and brilliant play. In the third place playoff match, the Indian team defeated Uzbekistan 12-5 to capture the bronze medal. Team captain Bhumika Shukla (Rajasthan) and vice-captain Tanushree Bhosale (Maharashtra) led the team brilliantly. This victory has reflected the growing stature of Indian women's rugby and has raised new hopes for the future.

The contribution of the daughters of Bihar was also extremely important in this historic victory. Although the state of all the players is not clearly mentioned in the final list of the national team, Bihar has made a strong mark in rugby in recent years. Bihar's Under-18 girls' teams have consistently performed well in the Junior National Championship, in which they also won the title by defeating Odisha. Apart from this, Indian Under-20 women's team head coach Kiano Fourie has been actively working in Bihar's youth rugby setup since 2022. All this is a strong proof that the sports talents of Bihar are making their mark at the national level and the daughters of Bihar have also contributed significantly in this bronze medal winning team, which has increased the pride of the entire state. On this proud occasion, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also expressed his happiness and posted on social media:

“It is a moment of immense pride for the country and Bihar that the Indian women's team won the bronze medal in the Asia Rugby (Under-20) Championship-2025 held in Rajgir! Our four daughters from Bihar in this team have also brought glory to the state by performing brilliantly. Hearty congratulations to all the winners and runners-up teams of the men's and women's category. This event is a symbol of our commitment to promote sports culture in Bihar and encourage young talent.

The successful hosting of this championship and the victory of the Indian team have infused a new energy towards sports in Bihar. Bihar Sports University, which provides state-of-the-art training facilities in 24 sports disciplines, will play an important role in honing sporting talent in the state. This event will give Bihar a prominent place on the national and international sports map, giving more opportunities to the youth here to make their future in sports.

In this championship, the winner in the men's category was Hong Kong and the runner-up was Sri Lanka, and in the women's category the winner was China and the runner-up was Hong Kong Hearty congratulations to him also. This event is an important step towards promoting sports culture in Bihar and encouraging young talents, which will lay the foundation for the golden sports future of the state.