Laishram Sarita Devi’s journey from the insurgency-affected streets of Manipur to the international boxing arena is one of defiance, resilience, and hard-earned success. After the tragic loss of her father, a young Sarita was tempted to join the insurgency, even transporting weapons for militants. But before she could lose herself to that life, her brother intervened, steering her toward sports.

Sarita initially took out her frustration in taekwondo before transitioning to boxing under the guidance of coach Ibomcha Singh at his academy. Here, she met fellow-boxer Mary Kom and the two became fast friends. This shift didn’t just save her—it ignited a passion for boxing and a dream to represent India. Her rise began in 2005, with a bronze at the World Championships in Podolsk, Russia. Just a year later, she clinched gold in New Delhi. Over the years, she added five Asian titles and a Commonwealth Games silver to her name, becoming a versatile and dominant figure in the sport. At a time when financial struggles plagued her family, her victories also secured a stable job with the Manipur Police, giving her the security to continue boxing.

The defining moment of her career came during the 2014 Asian Games, where she controversially lost a semifinal bout to South Korea’s Park Ji-Na, despite a dominant performance. In protest of what she saw as biased judging, Sarita refused to accept her bronze medal, attempting to place it around Park’s neck. Her defiant stand drew condemnation from officials, leading to a one-year ban, but it also sparked conversations about fairness in sports.

The fallout strained her relationship with fellow boxer Mary Kom, whose gold medal that day was overshadowed by Sarita’s protest. Despite this, Sarita’s courage turned her into a symbol of integrity, inspiring a generation of athletes, even as her own career dimmed in the years that followed.

At the end of this episode of Almost Perfect, our series about women athletes who competed alongside the best but faded from the spotlight, Sarita Devi shares a special message for Indian youth.

This show is produced by Confluence Media for Radio Azim Premji University.

Credits:

Achie Humtsoe, Anisa Draboo, Gautam Datt, Jasleen Bhalla, Josy Joseph, Omair Farooq, and Siddhartha Mishra

Radio Azim Premji University:

Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi, and Velu Shankar

For a comprehensive list of acknowledgments and resources, please visit our website: https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/almost-perfect-stories-of-forgotten-indian-women-athletes/how-boxer-sarita-devi-almost-became-a-militant