Twenty-one-year-old Phupu not just battled her opponents valiantly during the sub-continental sports meet last week to claim the highest medal ever won by a female Nepali judoka but had to fight off delusions and dilemma to regain her sanity after losing her father in a tragic incident two years ago.
It was her late father's desire to see her make the country proud and the only reason she continued playing the game that would fetch one of the three gold medals for Nepal in the 12th SAG was to fulfill the dream of her father, who died in an avalanche in the Everest region leaving behind three young children and a wife.
"I knew I could win gold because I had to fulfill my father's dream. But I can't still believe I did it. I still feel like it's a dream," Phupu told Republica a day after arriving in Kathmandu from New Delhi on Friday.
"The sad thing is that I could not share the happiness with my father. I wish he was beside me during this special moment," added Phupu, who will be leaving for Hungary this week for special training for the Rio Olympics under the sponsorship of Nepal Olympic Committee and International Judo Federation.
If it wasn't for her father's inspiration, Phupu would never have stepped into the dojo at Nayabazar where she honed her skills under the tutelage of judo coaches Dharma Kumar Shrestha, Deepak Krishna Shrestha and Ramesh Magar.
A promising player from her early days in the game, Phupu has won eight international medals and has participated in more than a dozen international tournaments, making her one of the most experienced and decorated judo players of Nepal in such a short span. Phupu has also featured in two world championships – 2010 Judo World Championship in Paris and 1015 judo worlds in Astana.
Nepal's coach during SAG, Indra Dangol, believes that international exposure and psychological warfare helped Phupu win gold medal in Guwahati, India.
According to coach Dangol, the Nepali team spread word that Phupu, the best player of Nepal, had been training in Hungary for six months but in reality, she had been there for just three weeks. Coach Dangol says that this propaganda helped Nepal get a psychological edge during the games.
According to Phupu, her Indian opponent Suniwala Devi Huridrom took her lightly and once she scored a point the Indian player became hopeless in the game.
Phupu credited her success to mind game she played during the match.
"I have become fearless now. After playing so much international games, I am no longer nervous. I concentrate on mind games while competing so that gives me the advantage," said Phupu.
"Physically, we are all the same. All of us have trained for years. What matters most is one's mental strength. The one who is mentally strong prevails during the game," added Phupu, who has been pursuing BBS degree at People's Campus, Paknajol.
Phupu, who plays for Tribhuvan Army Club and is aspiring to become an army officer, says that it is essential to have patience to win games.
"One should not be disheartened if they lose a match. If a player has patience, he/she will definitely win medals one day," she shared her experience.
Coach Dangol told Republica that if she gets support she can do much better in the future.
"Just three weeks of training in Hungary did wonders. She has become more agile and has learnt new things which were not possible to learn here," said Dangol.
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