CM Samrat Choudhary hails Bihar's Bobby Kumar on Asian Games bronze
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
A Bihar Police sub-inspector has etched his name into the state's sporting history — and Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary made sure the country knew about it. On Friday, 2 October 2026, the Chief Minister took to X to congratulate Bobby Kumar and the entire Indian sepaktakraw team on winning a bronze medal in the men's quadrant team event at the Asian Games 2026, calling Kumar the first athlete from Bihar to win an Asian Games medal in sepaktakraw.
Posting in Hindi, CM Choudhary wrote: 'एशियन गेम्स 2026 सेपकटकरा में पदक जीतने वाले बिहार के पहले खिलाड़ी बनकर उन्होंने इतिहास रचा है' — ('By becoming the first player from Bihar to win a medal in sepaktakraw at the Asian Games 2026, he has created history'). The message extended best wishes to the team for upcoming bouts.
Bobby Kumar: from Bihar Police ranks to a podium in Asia
Bobby Kumar serves as a Sub-Inspector in the Bihar Police — a detail CM Choudhary highlighted with evident pride. His journey from the force's training grounds to an Asian Games podium underlines a growing pattern across Indian states: uniformed services increasingly nurturing elite athletes who balance duty with discipline-intensive sport. Sepaktakraw, a Southeast Asian sport combining elements of volleyball and martial arts played with a rattan ball using feet, knees, chest and head, demands extraordinary athleticism, and Kumar's performance in the quadrant team format earned India a place on the podium.
What the bronze means for Bihar's sporting ambition
The Chief Minister framed the medal not merely as a personal triumph but as proof of what Bihar's athletes can achieve — 'हमारे खिलाड़ियों के सामर्थ्य, परिश्रम और समर्पण का प्रमाण' ('evidence of the capability, hard work and dedication of our players'). Bihar has historically been perceived as an under-represented state in mainstream Indian sport; a first-ever Asian Games sepaktakraw medal from the state chips away at that narrative, however incrementally.
CM Choudhary's public acknowledgement also carries a signal to young athletes in the state: institutional recognition from the highest elected office matters. When a Chief Minister names a sub-inspector by name on a national platform, it tells every aspiring sportsperson in government service that excellence will be seen.