The Indian women’s fours team secured a historic first-ever Gold in law bowls on Tuesday at the Commonwealth Games 2022. Featuring in their first women’s fours final at the Games, the Rupa Rani Tirkey-led team defeated South Africa 17-10 in the gold medal match after making headlines in the semi-finals where they defeated New Zealand 16-13 on Monday.

India at CWG 2022 Day 5 blog

Lovely Choubey: Lead (who goes first)
Pinki: Second 
Nayanmoni Saikia: Third
Rupa Rani Tirkey: Skip (the captain who calls plays and closes things out)

Here is a look at the squad that created history in Birmingham:

Pinki Singh

Pinki Singh, a former cricketer, is officially a physical education teacher at the Delhi Public School RK Puram - the venue for one of the few lawn bowls pitches in the country. It was during her time at the school that she was introduced to the sport that she’s now gone on to excel in. She is a cricket coach who has completed a coaching course at the National Institute of Sport in Patiala.

Fact file:

Date of Birth: 14-08-1980, 41 Years

Hometown: Delhi

Training Base: Delhi

Past achievements:

  • Participation in Commonwealth Games 2014 & 2018
  • 4th position in Commonwealth Games 2010
  • Gold Medal in (Women Triples) Lawn Bowl Asian Championship held in India 2017.
  • Silver Medal in (Women triples) & Bronze Medal in (Women fours)  Lawn Bowl Asian Championship held in Brunei 2016. 
  • Bronze Medal in (Women Triples) Lawn Bowl Asian Championship held in China 2014.
  • Silver Medal in Asian Lawn Bowl Championship held at Malaysia 2012.
  • Participation in Lawn Bowl Merdeka Cup held in Malaysia Oct, 2011 
  • Gold Medal in (Womens Fours) & Bronze Medal (Women Pairs) in Asian Lawn Bowl Championship 2009. 
  • Bronze Medal in Asia Pacific Lawn Bowl Championship held in Malaysia year 2009
— — Via Sports Authority of India media team

Rupa Rani Tirkey

Rupa Rani Tirkey is a former kabaddi player. The 34-year-old from Ranchi is a district sports officer in Jharkhand. She took up lawn bowls after the recommendation of a relative to take up an individual sport and later realised the state government provided a better stipend for lawn bowls than for kabaddi.

Fact file:

Date of Birth: 27-09-1987, 34 Years

Hometown: Ranchi, Jharkhand

Training Base: Ranchi, Jharkhand

Past achievements: 

  • 4th position – Commonwealth Games 2010
  • 5th position – Commonwealth Games 2018
  • Participation – Commonwealth Games 2014
  • 01 Gold & 01 Bronze medals in Women’s Triples & Fours respectively at Asia Pacific Bowls Championship 2009, Kuala lumpur.
  • 01 Bronze medal in Women’s Triples Asia Pacific Bowls Championship 2019, Gold Coast 
— — Via Sports Authority of India media team

Nayanmoni Saikia

Hailing from Assam - one of the few lawn bowls pitches in India is in Guwahati, Somdev Devvarman explained during commentary - Nayanmoni Saikia was once a national-level weightlifter in the early 2000s. But her career had been plagued with injuries, which prompted her coach to encourage her to take up lawn bowls.

Fact file:

Date of Birth: 21-09-1988, 33 Years

Hometown: Golaghat, Assam

Training Base: Guwahati, Assam

Past Achievements: 

  • 01 Gold medal in U-25 Girls Singles Asian championship 2012, Malaysia 
  • 01 Gold medal in Women’s Triples in 12th Asian Championship 2017, Delhi (India)
  • 02 Gold medal in Women’s Singles and Triples 34th National Games 2011, Ranchi
  • 02 Gold medal in Women’s Singles and Fours in 35th National Games 2015, Kerala
— — Via Sports Authority of India media team

Lovely Choubey

Lovely Choubey, at 42, is the senior-most player in the team. She was a long jumper in her early days, but just like Saikia, was troubled with injuries, ending her athletics career. She was later introduced to lawn bowls on the encouragement of her coaches.

Factfile

Discipline: Lawn Bowl 

Date of Birth: 03-08-1980, 42 Years

Hometown: Ranchi, Jharkhand

Training Base: R K Anand Bowling Green, Ranchi

Coach: Madhukant Pathak

Past Achievements: 

  • 5th position in Commonwealth Games 2018
  • Participation in Commonwealth Games 2014, 
  • 02 Silver medal in Women’s Pairs & Singles at 10th Asian Lawn Bowls Championship China & 8th Under 25 Championship 2014
  • Gold medal in Mixed Pair at Asia Pacific Merdeka Cup 2013
  • 01 Silver medal in Women’s Pairs & Gold medal in Women’s Fours, 7th National & 3rd Under-25 Lawn Bowls Championship’2019
— — Via Sports Authority of India media team
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