Chandigarh Judoka Ishroop Narang Secures Silver at Junior Asian Judo Championship in Jakarta

CHANDIGARH: At just 19, judoka Ishroop Narang, a student of MCM DAV College for Women, Sector 36, has brought glory by winning a silver medal for India at the Junior Asian Judo Championship held in Jakarta, Indonesia.Competing in the -78 kg junior category, the young athlete’s judo journey began in Ludhiana before she shifted base to Chandigarh. Already decorated with a gold at the Taipei Junior Asian Cup 2025, she first announced herself on the international stage with a medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Judo Championship in England, a feat that marked her as a name to watch in Indian judo.Her mother, Jaspreet Kaur, recalls how sports became Ishroop’s calling. “We put her in sports because she was tall but also overweight. She tried shot put and basketball, but judo was what caught her heart,” she said, her voice breaking with emotion. “When I saw her standing on the podium this time, I couldn’t stop my tears. She’s the first one from our family to enter sports, and look how far she has come.”Ishroop has been involved in sports since the third grade. At just 10, she was enrolled at the Inspire Institute of Sport in Karnataka for advanced training, a step that proved crucial in her development. As a child, she often felt left out because of her height, but today, that very attribute has turned into her strength.Currently in her second year of BA at MCM DAV, Ishroop trains under coach Vivek Thakur, who also served as the head coach of the Indian team for the Jakarta championship. A Himachali by birth and raised in Chandigarh, Thakur himself is a celebrated judoka, seven-time national champion, silver medalist at the Masters Commonwealth Judo Championship, and recipient of the 2023 State Award for meritorious service in sports.Once an MNC employee, Thakur quit the corporate world to pursue coaching, topping his batch in the NIS Diploma in Sports Coaching (2017-18) before joining the UT sports department in 2019. Since then, he has trained players who have bagged 450 national medals and 11 international medals. Awaiting his International Judo Federation Level 1 certification, Thakur believes judo is more than a sport. “Judo has given me everything, discipline, purpose, and the chance to transform young lives,” he said.