FULL NAME: Sumitra Nayak
GENDER: Female
DATE OF BIRTH: Not known
AGE: She was 19 years old by 2019
PARENTS: Father (?), Gayatri Nayak (Mother)
ORIGINAL HOME ADDRESS: Jajpur, Odisha, India
PRESENT ADDRESS: Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATION: Student of Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), Bhubaneswar. In May 2017, Sumitra was pursuing Graduation in Political Science Honours at KISS.
RECEIVED COACHING FROM: Rudrakesh Jena and Naser Hussain
TEAMS/UNITS REPRESENTED: Odisha and Indian Women

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS:

NATIONAL:
*     She was part of the Odisha Rugby Football Club (ORFC) team that retained the womens title in the National Rugby 15s Championship 2023 (Division-I) at KIIT University in Bhubaneswar on 1 March 2024.
*     She was part of the Odisha women team that won the gold medal in the Senior National Rugby Sevens Championship, held at Punjab University, Chandigarh from June 22-24, 2018.
*     She was part of the KIIT Deemed University team that won the women’s title in the All-India Inter-University Rugby Championship, hald at Punjabi University in Patiala from March 15 to 17, 2018.
*     She was a member of the Odisha women team achieved a hat-trick by winning the third successive title in Societe Generale Senior National Rugby Sevens Championship, held at Pataliputra Stadium in Patna from August 11-13, 2017.
*     She was part of the Odisha team that won the title in the Senior National Rugby Sevens Championship, held at Pataliputra Stadium in Patna (Bihar) from August 5 to 7, 2016.
*     She was the captain of the Odisha team that finished third in the Junior National Rugby Championship, held at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar on Sept, 2015.
*     She was part of the Odisha team that won the title in the Senior National Rugby Sevens Championship in July 2015.

INTERNATIONAL:
*     She was captain of the Indian team that won the bronze medal in the Asia Rugby U-20 Women Sevens Series, held in Vientiane, Laos on 24, 25 August, 2019.
*     She was part of the Indian women team that won the Silver Medal at the Asia Rugby Seven Trophy in Jakarta on 11 August, 2019.
*     She was part of the Indian women 15s team that made history by winning their first-ever test match and a Bronze Medal in the Asia Rugby Women Championship in Manila, Philippines on 22 June 2019.
*     She was the vice-captain of the Indian team that finished 4th in the 3rd Asia Rugby Sevens U-18 Girls Championship, held at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar from Oct 26-28, 2018.
*     She was part of the Indian team that emerged Plate Winners in the Asia Rugby Women’s Sevens Trophy at Panaga Club in Brunei on Oct 21, 2018.
*     She was part of the Indian team that clinched bronze medal in the Asian Girls (U-18) Rugby Sevens Championship, held at Dubai in 2016.
*     Led the Under-18 India women`s rugby team.
*     Participated in the U-13 Women`s Rugby World Cup in 2014.

OTHER IMPORTANT DATA:
*     She is functioning as part of the seven-member Rugby India Athletes Commission since December 2022.
*     On 17th December 2021, she received a cash award of Rs 1,24,500 from the Government of Odisha for winning gold medal at the All India Women Rugby Championship.
*     Converted two penalty kicks against Singapore to help India win their first-ever test match and a bronze medal in the Asia Rugby Women Championship in 2019.
*     Nominated for International Children`s Peace Prize 2017.
*     A shoulder injury kept her from playing for about three months in 2013.
*     With an early childhood tormented by poverty, Sumitra came to the Bhubaneswar when she was only four years old.
*     She was enrolled in Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) in 2008, a place where her fascination towards rugby began.
*     She started rugby practice in 2009, and under the guidance of her coach Rudrakesh Jena in 2012, she played her first State match.
*     In a story published in the `Sportstar’ magazine, Sumitra disclosed that her father was a drunkard and used to beat her mother.
*     Unable to bear any more abuse, her mother left home with kids and started living in Bhubaneswar.
*     In Bhubaneswar her mother initially worked as a maid in order to provide basic facilities to her children.

PROFILE FIRST UPLOADED: 10 August 2016
PROFILE LAST UPDATED: 5 March 2024