Nayanmoni Saikia is a renowned Indian Lawn Bowls player. In the Indian Lawn Bowls ranking, she is ranked 14th in women’s triples and fourth in women’s fours. In 2022, she hit the headlines after winning a gold medal in Lawn Bowls matches along with her three teammates in Commonwealth Games organised in Birmingham, England.
Wiki/Biography
Nayanmoni Saikia was born on Wednesday, 21 September 1988 (age 34 years; as of 2022) in Village Tengabari, Golaghat, Assam. Her zodiac sign is Virgo. Soon after completing her school education, she joined Golaghat Commerce College in Assam to pursue a graduate degree. Nayanmoni Saikia belongs to a farmer family in Assam. In 2001, the SAI Golaghat centre chose her for the weightlifting sport through a talent hunt program. A weightlifting promoter in Assam, Ajay Chetia, mentioned in an interview with a media house that Nayanmoni Saikia began representing Assam in Lawn Bowls in 2007. He said,
Lawn Bowls was unheard of in this state before 2007. When Nayanmoni saw the sport then, it changed her life. She took up the sport that year itself and since then has represented both Assam and India many times.”
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′
Weight (approx.): 65 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Husband & Children
On 12 May 2013, she got married to Bhaskar Jyoti Gohain, who is a local businessman in Barpathar, Assam.
Nayanmoni Saikia on her wedding day
The couple has a daughter.
Nayanmoni Saikia with her husband and daughter
Career
Lawn Bowls
Nayanmoni Saikia participated in National Games in individual and team events in 2011 and clinched a gold medal. In the following year, she participated in the Asian Lawn Bowls Championship in the girls’ under-25 section and won a gold medal.
Nayanmoni Saikia after winning a trophy in Lawn Bowls in 2012
In 2014, she represented India in the Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, SCO and competed in the Women’s Singles and Women’s Triples Lawn Bowls Championships, where she was ranked in 3rd Pool in both events. Nayanmoni Saikia participated in the National Lawn Bowling championships held in Kerala, India in 2015 and bagged a gold medal.
Nayanmoni Saikia after winning a medal in National Games in 2015
In 2018, she participated in the Commonwealth Games organised in Gold Coast, Queensland. In 2020, she represented India in the South Asian Games and clinched a medal and cash rewards for the same by the Government of India.
Nayanmoni Saikia after winning a medal in South Asian Games in 2020
In the same year, she participated in the third Khelo India Youth Games organised in Guwahati, Assam and won the Lawn Bowls events.
Nayanmoni Saikia after winning an accolade in Khelo India Youth Games in 2020
On 2 August 2022, Nayanmoni Saikia participated in the commonwealth games in England along with her teammates Lovely Choubey, Pinki Singh, and Rupa Rani Tirkey and clinched a gold medal after winning the final event of the Lawn Bowls against the South African team. They entered the final match of Lawn Bowls after defeating New Zealand in the semifinals on 1 August 2022.
Nayanmoni Saikia (second from right) with her teammates after winning gold at CWG 2022
Government Official
When Nayanmoni Saikia began representing India in Lawn Bowls internationally, she was designated as a Forest Officer in Assam by the state government.
Nayanmoni Saikia in forest officer uniform
Facts/Trivia
- In a media interview, Nayanmoni Saikia’s husband disclosed that she switched from weightlifting to Lawn Bowls after she suffered a severe injury in her leg. He added in the same discussion that her performance in weightlifting started deteriorating after these injuries and soon she shifted to Lawn Bowls, which became her passion later. He said,
Nayanmoni was a very dedicated weightlifter earlier, her whole life revolved around sports. But a leg injury meant that her performance kept deteriorating till she found lawn bowls. That became her passion after that. She has faced many challenges in her life, but she never sacrificed the game.”
Nayanmoni Saikia in 2015
- According to her husband, Nayanmoni Saikia gets a lot of encouragement and support from her family members. Her mother-in-law was a national-level athlete.
- Nayanmoni Saikia regularly shares her pictures and videos on Facebook.
- Nayanmoni Saikia is an avid dog lover. She often posts pictures of her pet dog on social media.
Nayanmoni Saikia with her pet god and daughter
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