Ruparani Tirkey is an Indian lawn bowler who is known for qualifying for the final of Lawn Bowls at the Commonwealth Games 2022. In the semi-final held between India and New Zealand, India won by 17-9. She works as the Director of Sports & Youth Affairs in West Singhbhum district, Jharkhand.
Wiki/Biography
Ruparani Tirkey was born on Sunday, 27 September 1987 (age 35 years; as of 2022) in Ranchi, Jharkhand. Her zodiac sign is Libra. She did her schooling at St. Anne’s Girls High School, Ranchi. She attended Indira Gandhi Institute of Physical Education & Sports Sciences, Delhi and Gossner College, Ranchi.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 5″
Weight (approx.): 70 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Ruparani’s father worked in a post office, but later, her mother got the job of her father in the post office. She has one sister, Reema Rani Tirkey.
Ruparani Tirkey with her sister
Husband
Ruparani got married to Amrit Minj, an engineer on 14 May 2022.
Ruparani Tirkey’s wedding image
Religion
Ruparani follows Christianity.
Ruparani Tirkey’s Facebook post about her religious views
Career
Commonwealth Games
Ruparani started her career with kabaddi but later switched to lawn bowl. In 2010, she participated in the Commonwealth Games that were held in India and stood on 4th position. In 2014, she again took part in the Commonwealth Games, held in Glasgow, Scotland and stood on 9th position in triples and 14th in fours. In 2018, she participated in the Commonwealth Games which were held in Queensland, Australia, but she did not qualify in pairs and in fours. In 2022, she qualified for the finals at Commonwealth Games.
Asia Pacific Bowls Championship
In 2009, she played the Asia Pacific Bowls Championship, held in Malaysia, and won a bronze medal in triples and fours. In 2019, she again won a bronze in triples at Asia Pacific Bowls Championships that was held in Australia.
World Outdoor Bowls Championship
In 2020, she participated in triples and fours in World Outdoor Bowls Championship which was held in Queensland, Australia.
Facts/Trivia
- Rupa was a kabaddi player before she became a lawn bowler. In an interview, she said that she started gaining interest in lawn bowl when she received a good stipend after winning the first game. She also said that one of her relatives suggested she take up an individual game.
- She started playing lawn bowl in the position of a skipper. In an interview, she said that playing the position of the skipper was very tough. She used to make her team train themselves because they were not given training after 2018 due to a lack of funds with the federation after the COVID-19 pandemic.
- In an interview, she expressed her feelings after winning the semi-final in CWG 2022, and said,
We cannot express our feelings in words. We have fought as a team and now our journey doesn’t end here. We have to play in a similar fashion against South Africa and do what hasn’t been done before.”
Ruparani Tirkey with her team after winning the Gold medal in Commonwealth games
- In an interview, their team manager Anju Luthra talked about how proud she was of her team and said,
I am like their mother, I am attached with them since 2009. It’s a long journey, they’re like my daughters, my family. Getting a medal is important, because when we go back to India, the federation always says ‘what have you done?’, so we want to prove that we are not less than any other game.”
- In a statement that she gave after qualifying for the final in CWG, she expressed her disappointment and said that she was not as famous and recognized as MS Dhoni even when they belonged to the same place, Ranchi.
Ruparani Tirkey with MS Dhoni