“Explore the complete sports profile of Jharkhand, including National Games achievements, gold medal winners, top athletes like M.S. Dhoni and Deepika Kumari, major stadiums, and Olympic participation – a must-read guide for sports enthusiasts and exam aspirants.”
Eminent Personalities and Their Popular Titles (Nicknames)
The following are famous personalities associated with Jharkhand and the titles they are popularly known by:
- “धरती आबा” (Dharti Aba) – Birsa Munda
- “Father of Civil Aviation in India” – J. R. D. Tata
- “Father of Jharkhand Movement” / Avatar of Birsa Munda – J. Vaalman
- “Marang Gomke” / Munda Raja – Jaipal Singh Munda
- “Dishom Guruji” – Shibu Soren
- “Bharatendu of Santhali Literature” – Dogan Sah Samir
- “Mahi” / “MSD” / “Captain Cool” – M. S. Dhoni
- “Iron Lady” – Dayamani Barla
- “Captain of Chhotanagpur” / “Chhotanagpur Kesari” – Ram Narayan Singh
- “Waterman of Jharkhand” / “Baba” – Simon Oraon
- “Adiwasi Rebel” – Tilka Manjhi
- “Adi-Purush of the Nagvanshi Dynasty” – Phani Mukut Rai
- “Lady Tarzan” – Jamuna Tudu
- “Prince of Chhotanagpur State” – Mukund Nayak
- “Bari Dadi” / Veteran of Jharkhand Movement – Saroja Iyer
- “Haladhar Baba Ji” – Havaldhari Ram Gupta
- “Bhagirath Manjhi” – J. Bartholoman
- “Lal Baba” – Lal Hembrom
- “Kisun Sahab” – Wilkinson
- “Libin Sahab” – Prabhat Kumar
- “Father Livens” – Famous for tribal welfare
- “Butterfly of Jharkhand” / “Birdman of Jharkhand” – Pannalal
- “Apostle of the Santhals” / “Santhalon Ka Devdoot” – Dr. E. Campbell
- “Father of Jharkhand Journalism” – Enot Rod
- “Hari Baba” – Duka Ho
- “Lal Babu” – Radha Krishna
- “Jharkhandi Sultan / Founding Father of Adilshahi II” – Adil Shah II
- “Babu Chacha” / Jharkhand ka Gandhi – Vinod Bihari Mahato
- “Natural Leader” – Basant Kumar Tirkey / Shiva Mahato
- “Sher-e-Jharkhand” / Lion of Jharkhand – Kumar Nripendranath
- “King of Nagpuri Songs” – Madhu Mansuri Hansmukh
- “Jatin of Hazaribagh / Bagha Singh” – Rajkumar Shahdev / Ram Vinod Singh
- “Strong Girl” – Ragini Kachhap
Note: Facts marked with an asterisk (*) have appeared in competitive exams conducted in Jharkhand.
34th National Games 2011 – Held in Jharkhand
A significant event in the history of Indian sports, the 34th National Games was successfully hosted in Jharkhand.
Event Details:
- Date of Event: 12–26 February, 2011
- Venues: Ranchi, Jamshedpur, and Dhanbad
- Total Teams Participated: 34 (including 28 States, 5 Union Territories, and Services)
- Total Athletes: 6,979
- Athletes from Jharkhand: 850
- Mascot: Chhauwa (Baby deer)
Inauguration & Closing:
- Opening Venue: Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium, Ranchi
- Inaugurated By: M. O. H. Farooq, Governor of Jharkhand
- Closing Ceremony Presided By: Suresh Kalmadi
Key Achievements:
- Jharkhand’s Rank: 5th Place
- Jharkhand’s Medal Tally:96 medals
- 33 Gold
- 26 Silver
- 37 Bronze
- Team with Maximum Medals: Services – 162 medals (70 Gold)
- Most Decorated Athlete: Richa Mishra (Delhi, Swimming) – 16 medals
- Best Male Athlete: Virdhawal Khade (Maharashtra, Swimming) – 12 medals
- Best Female Athlete: Richa Mishra (Delhi)
- First Medal for Jharkhand: Preeti Kumari – Bronze in Taekwondo
- First Gold Medal for Jharkhand: Sonam Rajput – Taekwondo
- Jharkhand Team Leader: Bimal Lakra
- Players Who Lit the Torch: Deepika Kumari, Sumrai Tete, Aruna Mishra, Sylvanus Dungdung
- Oath-Taking Athlete: Deepika Kumari
- Best State Trophy: Manipur
- Raja Balendra Singh Trophy: Services
Medal Tally (Top 5 States):
| Rank | State | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Services | 70 | 50 | 42 | 162 |
| 2 | Manipur | 48 | 37 | 33 | 118 |
| 3 | Haryana | 42 | 33 | 40 | 115 |
| 4 | Maharashtra | 41 | 44 | 47 | 132 |
| 5 | Jharkhand | 33 | 26 | 37 | 96 |
Bihar ranked 24th with only 1 gold, while Nagaland ended last with 2 bronze medals and no gold or silver.
Gold Medal Winners from Jharkhand:
- Archery (Men’s Recurve Team): Jayant Talukdar, Akano Das, Mangal Champia, Pawan Khalkho
- Archery (Women’s Recurve Team): Deepika Kumari, Lakshmi Manjhi, Rimil Biruli, Seema Verma
- Archery (Women’s Compound Team): Jhanu Hansda, Bhagyawati, Namita Kumari, Majudha Soy
Future National Games Post Jharkhand:
| Edition | Host State | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 35th | Kerala | 2015 |
| 36th | Gujarat | 2022 |
| 37th | Goa | 2022 |
Historical Insights:
- First Ever National Games (Pre-independence): Lahore, 1924
- First National Games in Independent India: Lucknow (13th edition), 1948
- First Modern-Format National Games: Delhi, 1985 (26th edition)
- 33rd National Games Before Jharkhand: Guwahati, Assam (2007)
Additional Gold Medal Winners – 34th National Games, Jharkhand (2011)
The following are Jharkhand athletes who won gold medals in various events:
- Athletics (High Jump, Men): Harishankar Rai
- Athletics (20 km Walk, Women): L. Deepmala Devi
- Athletics (20 km Walk, Men): Gurmeet Singh
- Gymnastics (Pommel Horse, Men): Partho Mandal
- Boxing (Bantam 56kg, Men): Partho Mandal
- Boxing (Bantam 56kg, Women): B. Michel Lakra
- Boxing (Lightweight 64kg, Women): Sushma Kumari Yadav
- Boxing (Lightweight 69kg, Women): Aruna Mishra
- Boxing (Heavyweight 81kg, Women): Neetu Chahal
- Boxing (Heavyweight 91kg, Men): Praveen Kumar
- Boxing (Super Heavyweight, Women): Lakshmi Padia
- Judo (48kg, Women): Swapna Priya Namenani
- Judo (78kg, Women): Bembem
- Diving (3m Springboard): Aarti Kumari Hemjeet Mithai
- Canoe-Kayaking (1000m Doubles, Men): Ajit Kumar Sah, Raju Rawat
- Lawn Bowls (Singles, Men): Sunil Bahadur
- Lawn Bowls (Triples, Men): Sunil Bahadur, Chandan Kumar, Dinesh Kumar
- Lawn Bowls (Fours, Men): Chandan Kumar, Dinesh Kumar, Krishna Kumar, Rajeev Kumar
- Lawn Bowls (Doubles, Women): Farzana Khan, Arzoo Rani
- Lawn Bowls (46-49kg, Women): Tasin Begum
- Taekwondo (58–63kg, Men): Surendra Bhandari
- Taekwondo (62–68kg, Women): Sonam Rajput
- Taekwondo (73kg, Women): K. Shree Lakshmi
- Weightlifting (94kg+, Men): Manjeet Singh
- Weightlifting (105kg, Men): Gurmeet Singh
- Weightlifting (105kg+, Men): Sarbjit Khanda
- Weightlifting (63kg, Women): P. Chanu Hizam
- Weightlifting (69kg, Women): Monika Devi
- Weightlifting (75kg, Men): Pratima Kumari
- Wrestling (Greco-Roman 74kg, Men): Rajesh
Note: These facts have been asked in Jharkhand state competitive exams (marked with an asterisk in original source).
Major Sports Stadiums in Jharkhand
Below are the key stadiums across Jharkhand, their locations, and year of establishment:
| Stadium | Location | Established |
|---|---|---|
| Keenan Stadium | Jamshedpur | 1939 |
| Mohan Ahuja Indoor Stadium | Jamshedpur | – |
| JRD Tata Sports Complex | Jamshedpur | 1991 |
| Shaheed Nirmal Mahato Stadium | Jamshedpur | 1985 |
| Golf Ground | Jamshedpur / Dhanbad | – |
| Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium | Ranchi | 1991 |
| Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium (Astroturf) | Ranchi | 2009 |
| Birsa Munda Football Stadium | Ranchi | 2009 |
| Jaipal Singh Stadium | Ranchi | 1978 |
| Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Complex | Hotwar, Ranchi | 2009 |
| Mecon Stadium | Ranchi | 1984 |
| Shatabdi Stadium | Ranchi | – |
| JSCA International Cricket Stadium | Ranchi | 2013 |
| Mohan Kumar Mangalam Stadium | Bokaro | – |
| Senapati Stadium | Bokaro | 1995 |
| Sidhu-Kanhu Indoor Stadium | Dumka | – |
| Albert Ekka Stadium | Gumla | – |
| Tata Digwadih Stadium | Dhanbad | – |
| Hazaribagh Stadium (Curzon Ground) | Hazaribagh | 1988 |
| Arjun Archery Stadium | Kharsawan | 1988 |
| Sidho-Kanho Stadium | Sahibganj / Ramgarh | – |
Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Complex (Hotwar, Ranchi)
This multi-sport complex includes:
- Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium
- Tikait Umrao Singh Shooting Range
- Veer Budhu Bhagat Water Sports Stadium
- Sidho-Kanho Velodrome
- Vishwanath Shahdeo Indoor Stadium
- Harivansh Tana Bhagat Indoor Stadium
- Ganpat Rai Indoor Stadium
- Sheikh Bhikhari Administrative Block
Prominent Sportspersons from Jharkhand
Hockey
- Jaipal Singh, Helen Soy, Dayamani Soy, Sumrai Tete, Sunil Kujur, Nikki Pradhan, Salima Tete, Deepika Soreng, Pushpa Pradhan, Shirin Sneh
Cricket
- M. S. Dhoni, Saurabh Tiwary, Varun Aaron, Ishan Kishan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Indrani Roy (first woman from Jharkhand to be selected for all three formats of Indian Women’s Team)
Athletics
- Gurmeet Singh, Harishankar Rai, Tejal Gupta, Sushma Kumari Yadav, L. Deepmala Devi, Aditya Prakash
Archery
- Deepika Kumari, Komalika Bari, Rimil Biruli, Jhano Hansda, Jayant Talukdar, Pawan Khalkho
Football
- P. K. Banerjee, Sudhir Tiwari, Sumati Kumari, Sunita Munda, Subodh Kumar
Boxing
- Aruna Mishra, Sushma Kumari Yadav, Neetu Chahal, Praveen Kumar, V. Michel Lakra
Wrestling
- Rajesh, Praveen Kumar, Riya Kumari
Chess
- Deep Sengupta, Neeraj Kumar Mishra
Powerlifting
- Manoj Kumar Gupta, Ajit Bhadodiya, Anita Kumari
Lawn Bowls
- Sunil Bahadur, Chandan Kumar, Dinesh Kumar, Rajeev Kumar, Farzana Khan
Taekwondo & Weightlifting
- Sonam Rajput, Suranjan Bhandari, Monika Devi, Manjeet Singh, Sarbjit Khanda, Pratima Kumari
Key Developments in Jharkhand’s Sports Infrastructure
- Sports Authority of Jharkhand (SAJH) was established in 2006 to boost sports development.
- MoU signed between Jharkhand Government and Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) for a Sports University, spanning 30 years.
- The university will host 15 sports academies across various disciplines.
- Under Jaipal Singh’s captaincy, India won gold in field hockey at Amsterdam Olympics, 1928.
- Tokyo Olympics 2021: Jharkhand athletes Deepika Kumari (Archery), Nikki Pradhan and Salima Tete (Hockey) participated.
- Nikki participated in Olympics twice.
- Salima debuted in Olympics.
Jharkhand at Khelo India Youth Games 2022
- Jharkhand ranked: 17th
- Total medals won:12 medals
- 3 Gold
- 3 Silver
- 6 Bronze
Gold Medal Winners:
- Supriti Kachhap (Gumla): Running
- Sadanand Kumar (Hazaribagh): Running
- Jharkhand Girls Team: Kabaddi
🇺🇸 Hockey Training in the USA
Five female hockey players from Jharkhand were sent for training in the United States:
| Player | District |
|---|---|
| Purnima Neti | Simdega |
| Rita Toppo | Simdega |
| Juhi Kumari | Khunti |
| Pundi Sa | Khunti |
| Priyanka Kumari | Gumla |
Note: These facts have frequently appeared in state-level competitive exams (JPSC, JSSC, etc.)