If you don’t recognize Phupu Lhamu Khatri, a 21-year-old Nepali female judoka and Olympian, you must be joking. Because Khatri won gold medal for Nepal at the 2016 South Asian Games and also bagged the Female Player of the Year Award at the NSJF Pulsar Sports Award in the same year. Not only that, she also represented Nepal in Rio Olympics 2016.  

To add to her achievements, Phupu is also a national Black Belt holder, having received special training in Thailand and Hungary, and was awarded the Best Player at Nepal National and International Players Association Award in 2067 BS, bagged gold medals in All Junior Budapest Cup  as well as the seventh National Games, Jhapa.

My City’s Kiran Lama caught up with Phupu to talk about her experiences as a female judoka.

How did the idea of taking up judo hit you?
My journey of judo began when Coach Chandra Dangol suggested my father Dorji Khatri to make me join the training. At that time, Coach Dangol had given the example of Lila Adhikari. After that my father was convinced and he made me join judo training. 

Which factor pushes you to work hard?
My father has been my source of inspiration because he had scarified many things for my dream. He was like my mentor and guided me in each and every moment of my life. But my father passed away in 2015 in the Mount Everest avalanche. It was a tragic phase for me.

Nevertheless, I overcame that pain and converted my weakness into strength. As a result, I won the gold medal at the 2016 South Asian Games. 

What is your trick to win? 
For me, passion, hard work and dedication are the guru mantra to become a successful person. Not only in sports but also in all sectors of life, one needs passion and dedication to tackle problems. Lastly, we should have a positive attitude and be satisfied what we have. 

What kind of challenges do you face in professional life?  
Currently, I am in the fourth year of my BBS program. But it is hard for me to manage time between my studies and sports. My passion toward judo is the only strength that pushes and inspires me to work hard. Moreover, sportspersons are not celebrated or even appreciated in Nepal. Hence, we can never see a career or future in sports. These are some of the challenges that I face in my personal life. 

What is your future plan?
My main focus right now is to qualify for Tokyo Olympics, 2020. I’ve been training hard for the same. I know it’s a tough target, but it is no impossible. Besides that, I want to climb Everest in the near future.