Rajgir/Patna: In a field of over 6,500 athletes at the Khelo India Youth Games 2025 in Rajgir, eight-year-old Nilanjana Sharma from Bihar has emerged as a standout — not for her size, but for her skill. The youngest participant in the national-level sporting event is competing in table tennis, bringing both promise and pride to her home district of Muzaffarpur.
Trained by her father, Niranjan Kumar — a former footballer and current sports teacher at DAV Public School in Muzaffarpur — Nilanjana began wielding a paddle at the age of three. “Initially, I wanted her to play lawn tennis,” Niranjan told SAI Media. “But the lack of facilities made me reconsider. It was only after I saw her enthusiasm for table tennis that I started training her. Her love for the sport is what fuels her.”
Nilanjana’s talent is already reflected in her record. In 2022, she won gold in the Under-11 category at the Bihar State Championship, later finishing as runner-up in the U-13 and U-15 events. The following year, she reclaimed the U-11 title and, in 2024, dominated again by winning both the U-11 and U-13 categories, finishing second in U-15.
Rahul Kumar, head coach of Bihar’s table tennis team, confirmed that Nilanjana is the youngest competitor at the Games. Her ambition, however, goes far beyond age-group titles. “I want to represent India in international tournaments and make my parents proud,” she said.
Nilanjana’s story stands as a testament to how the Khelo India initiative is successfully discovering and nurturing young sporting talent from across the country — even from its smallest champions.
