Overview
Mamatha Poojary is an Indian kabaddi player from Karnataka who has represented the Indian women's national kabaddi team. She is recognised as one of the senior figures in Indian women's kabaddi during the late 2000s and 2010s, having played a leading role in India's gold medal-winning campaigns at the Asian Games and the Asian Indoor Games.
Key facts
| Name | Mamatha Poojary |
|---|---|
| Sport | Kabaddi |
| State | Karnataka, India |
| National team | India women's kabaddi team |
| Position | Raider |
| Major honours | Asian Games gold medallist; Arjuna Award recipient |
Background
Mamatha Poojary hails from the coastal Karnataka region, an area with a long-standing tradition of kabaddi at the school and college level. She rose through state-level competitions in Karnataka before being selected for the national women's team, where she established herself as a frontline raider.
Career
National and international play
Poojary was part of the Indian women's kabaddi side that won the gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, where women's kabaddi was introduced as a medal sport for the first time. She continued to represent India in subsequent international competitions, including the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, where the Indian women's team again won gold.
She also featured in the Asian Indoor Games and in Asian Kabaddi Championships, contributing to India's dominance in women's kabaddi during this period. Within the team she was known for her raiding ability and was often deployed as captain or senior player in domestic and international tournaments.
Domestic career
At the domestic level, Poojary represented Karnataka in the Senior National Kabaddi Championship organised by the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI). She has been associated with departmental teams in India that field employees as part of public sector and railways sports quotas.
Honours and recognition
- Arjuna Award by the Government of India for her contribution to kabaddi.
- Gold medal, women's kabaddi, Asian Games (Guangzhou, 2010).
- Gold medal, women's kabaddi, Asian Games (Incheon, 2014).
- Recognition by the Government of Karnataka for sporting achievement.
Significance
Poojary's career coincided with the formal entry of women's kabaddi into multi-sport events at the continental level. As a senior player and raider for India during this transitional period, she is regarded as one of the key contributors to establishing women's kabaddi as a competitive sport with an international footprint, and as a role model for women athletes from coastal Karnataka.