Archive · 9 Aug 2026
Assam Karate Champion Wins Gold After Floods Destroy Home
There is a 17-year-old girl named Janmoni Konwar who lives in Assam, a state in India.
She is a karate champion.
Recently, big floods ruined her house and the place where she practiced karate.
Her family had to move to a relief camp.
Even so, Janmoni went to Delhi and won a gold medal at a big karate championship.
She won all three of her fights, including the final.
Her dream is to compete in the Olympics one day.
At the same time, Assam's Chief Minister said the state needs real solutions for its flood problem, not just words.
He wants universities and experts to help protect Assam from floods.
This story shows how brave and determined Janmoni is, and how serious the flood problem is in her state.
Janmoni Konwar, a 17-year-old from Jorhat, Assam, won gold at the 20th All India Independence Cup Karate Championship 2026 in Delhi, winning all three bouts including a 10-2 final.
Floods destroyed her home and training ground weeks before the championship, forcing her family to move to a relief camp.
Konwar remains determined to continue pursuing her dream of competing at the Olympics.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state needs a 'national solution' to its flood crisis, adding that declaring floods a national problem 'is not going to work.'
Sarma said scientific measures are needed to protect Assam from water coming downhill from Nagaland, and proposed that IITs, IIMs, Dibrugarh University and Gauhati University identify interventions before seeking funds from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- Who
- Janmoni Konwar, a 17-year-old karate athlete from Jorhat, Assam, and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
- What
- Konwar won gold at the 20th All India Independence Cup Karate Championship 2026, while Sarma called for a national solution to Assam's recurring floods and erosion.
- When
- August 2026; Sarma spoke on Saturday, August 8.
- Where
- Delhi (for the championship); Assam and Jorhat (home of the flood-hit athlete).
- Why
- Konwar kept chasing her Olympic dream despite losing her home and training ground; Sarma wants concrete, scientific measures to protect Assam from floods.
- Athlete
- Janmoni Konwar (age 17)
- Competition
- 20th All India Independence Cup Karate Championship 2026
- Result
- Gold medal; won all three bouts, including a 10-2 final
- Location
- Delhi
- Hometown
- Jorhat, Assam
- Flood impact
- Home and training ground destroyed; family moved to a relief camp
- Flood response
- CM Himanta Biswa Sarma called for a national solution, not just declaring floods a national problem
- Historical demand
- All Assam Students' Union and other groups have sought a permanent solution from successive central governments