Ukhrul: The 25-year-old tennis star, Jennifer Luikham, has clinched gold for Manipur in the single individuals event by defeating Assam’s Justina Borgohain at the 3rd edition of the North East Games 2024 being held in Nagaland.
In the women’s singles final, Jennifer Luikham of Manipur defeated Justina Borgohain of Assam 6-0, 6-0 to secure the gold medal.
In the women’s doubles final, Jennifer Luikham and Charmie Nongmeikapam of Manipur defeated Tania Kumari and Prajapati of Assam 6-3, 7-6(10-3), adding another gold to Manipur’s tally.
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However, in the team event, Assam defeated Manipur, and the Manipur team had to settle for silver.
About Jennifer Luikham: Born in October 1999 in Ukhrul District, Manipur, Jennifer started playing tennis in 2006 at a local club. In December 2007, she became one of the youngest tennis players to be selected for a 10-year training program under “Mission 2018 – To produce Grand Slam winners from India.” Although the program was shelved at the end of 2010, Jennifer had already spent two years at the Mahesh Bhupati Tennis Village in Bangalore before shifting back to Gurgaon.
Despite her young age, Jennifer’s skills, fitness, and physical abilities have earned her numerous accolades in India. She won two Singles ITF U-18 titles at the age of 14 and claimed her first ITF Junior tournament U-18 (Grade 5), both in Singles & Doubles, at Indore in April 2014. She followed this with another victory in the ITF Junior tournament (Grade 4) Singles at Chennai in August 2014.
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Jennifer Luikham was one of the youngest (8-year-old) of the 15 kids selected for the 10-year Apollo Tyre-funded “Mission 2018” and was also supported by Wimbledon’s parent body All England Lawn Tennis Club’s (AELTC) Indian branch of IC for two years of training and exposure starting in 2011.
Jennifer Luikham won the U-14 Girls Singles title in Imphal in June 2011 and the Women’s Singles title at Imphal in May 2013 in a tournament organized by the Manipur Tennis Association.
Currently, Jennifer Luikham is ranked 1282 in the WTA Singles Ranking and 1600 in the ITF Singles Ranking. Her career highest ranking was 684 in the WTA Singles Ranking (2022) and 320 in the ITF Singles Ranking (2020).
The 3rd edition of the North East Games 2024 concluded on March 23, 2024, following a glittering opening ceremony at the Regional Centre for Sporting Excellence, Sovima, Nagaland, on March 18, 2024. The games featured more than 3000 athletes from eight North Eastern states competing in 15 disciplines, providing a platform to showcase the region’s sporting talent and promote unity among the people of the North East.
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