New Delhi: For Tendenthoi Devi Haobijam, the journey to her second Asian Games has been about much more than gaining international experience.
The journey to the Asian Games 2026 for Tendenthoi has also been about growing in confidence, understanding her teammates better and developing as an athlete within the high-performance environment at the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS).
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Having made her international debut at the 2023 Asian Games, Tendenthoi remembers entering that competition as a young athlete who was still finding her feet.
"My first international competition was the Asian Games in 2023. My performance was good, but I was not very confident because I was still a junior at that time. I had to learn a lot from the seniors and take their advice," she said, as quoted by a press release.
Her experience this time around has been markedly different. Since last year, Tendenthoi and her teammates have had the opportunity to train together consistently, allowing them to understand each other better and develop as a crew.
"This time, we got the chance to practice together for a long time. We have been together since last year, so we got to know each other better and got the chance to grow together. That has given us a lot of confidence," she said.
The exposure outside India has added another layer to that preparation. Training camps in Australia and Europe, along with multiple international competitions, have helped the crew understand what it takes to perform together under pressure.
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"We went to Australia for a camp and also spent a lot of time in Europe. We had the chance to compete in two or three competitions there, and we learnt a lot - how to manage a competition, how to handle pressure, how to perform with confidence and how to perform together as a crew. I learnt a lot from those experiences," she added.
For Tendenthoi, the support she has received at IIS has also played an important role in her development. From nutrition and physiology to psychology, she feels the environment has helped her become more confident in what she can achieve.
"There have been a lot of changes after coming to IIS. Earlier, we used to compete with each other, but after coming here, we feel more confident and feel that we can do much more. I have been training here throughout the year, the IIS staff takes good care of us, they look after our nutrition, physiology and psychology," she said.
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Her journey at IIS has also brought her closer to coach Lakshmi, someone she had looked up to even before she began rowing. Having known her since her childhood, Tendenthoi says Lakshmi's own journey inspired her to take up the sport and continues to motivate her today.
"I have known Lakshmi since around 2007-08. I had seen her practice and seen how she brought a lot of recognition to the state. She had competed at the Asian Games, and I was inspired by her even before I started rowing. Now, when I train with her, she takes care of us and motivates us whenever we feel less confident," she said.
Tendenthoi's introduction to rowing itself was closely connected to her family and her early exposure to water sports. Growing up near a club in Bishnupur district, she and her sister would participate in water sports before she eventually took up rowing.
Her family has remained an important source of encouragement throughout her career. Her parents have consistently pushed her to stay disciplined and keep working towards her goals, while her sister continues to remind her of what she can achieve at the Asian Games.
"Ever since I joined rowing, my parents have supported me a lot. They always told me that I could go far if I practised hard and stayed disciplined. They supported me even when I had to stay away from home and told me to focus on myself and prove myself every day. My sister has also supported me a lot. She believes that I can win a medal at the Asian Games," she said.
Now, as part of the IIS contingent alongside fellow rowers Aleena Anto, GurbKaur and Poonam, Tendenthoi heads into the Asian Games with a level of confidence that was missing three years ago. The experience of competing internationally, the time spent building the crew and the support system around her have all helped her approach the Games with a stronger belief in what is possible.
Tendenthoi will compete in the Women's Coxless Four, alongside Poonam, Aleena Anto and Gurbani Kaur. The crew has spent considerable time training and competing together, building familiarity and understanding as they prepare to take on some of Asia's strongest rowing teams. For Tendenthoi, the aim now is to carry the confidence built over the past year into competition and make the most of the opportunity that her second Asian Games presents.
