Konjengbam Priya becomes first State shuttler to make it to National women's team
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 10 2024: Manipuri shuttler Kongjengbam Priya is among the National team who will be competing in the Badminton Asia Team Championships.

Priya's selection among the team for the championship due to be held from February 13 to 18 in Shah Alam, Malaysia, was notified in a circular issued on January 8 by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) .

The men's team as announced by the BAI include Prannoy HS, Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, Chirag Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Dhruv Kapila, MR Arjun, Suraj Goala and Pruthvi K Roy.

Konjengbam Priya becomes first State shuttler to make it to National women's team

Meanwhile the women's team include PV Sindhu, Anmol Kharb, Tanvi Sharma, Ashmita Chaliha, Treesa Jolly, Gayatri Gopichand, Ashwini Ponnappa, Tanisha Crasto, Konjengbam Priya Devi and Shruti Mishra. It may be noted that Priya was crowned doubles champion in the Yonex Series 85 Senior National Badminton Championship 2023 held recently in Guwahati and participated in the India International Challenge 2023 held in Badminton Arena in Chhattisgarh.

The 22 year old Priya is the first player from Manipur to make it to the senior women's National team.

She currently holds top spot in the Indian Women's doubles ranking and 83rd in the world rankings.

Priya, who was born on November 3, 2001 to Konjengbam Rameshwar and Kongjengbam ongbi Biteshwari of Moirang Phairembam Leikai, currently trains at Suchitra Badminton Academy in Hyderabad.

She started playing badminton under the mentorship of her cousin brother Konjengbam Kenedy at Moirang Multipurpose Hall.

She became a noteworthy player of Bishnupur District Badminton Association by the time she turned 12 as she clinched the U-13 girls singles title in the State level championship in 2013 after undertaking a three month training course.

Priya, who has the innate quality of a true athlete, had the opportunity to join Suchitra Badminton Academy in 2018 and has been a formidable force in the National circuit after she paired up with Delhi's Khushi Gupta to win All India Senior Ranking Championship doubles title in 2022 .

It was not the end for the duo as they went on to claim the women's doubles title in another All India Senior Ranking Championship held in Visakhapatnam.

She also clinched the mixed doubles crown in the All India Senior Ranking Championship held in Hyderabad with Navaneet Bokka to complete her treble in the National circuit.

The same year, Priya notched up mixed doubles and women's doubles titles in the All India Senior Ranking Championship held in December (2022) in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.

Last year, Priya clinched a silver medal in the Senior National Badminton Championship held in Pune in February and claimed bronze medals in the mixed doubles and women's doubles competitions held in April.

She went on to claim a silver medal with UP's Shruti Mishra in the women's doubles competition held in Pune before bettering their performance to win a gold medal at All India Senior Ranking Championship hosted in Hyderabad in July.

She rose to top ranking in the National circuit following her gold medal feat in the Yonex Sunrise Inter Institutional Badminton Tournament.