SWEETY KUMARI BIHAR KI BETI -international young rugby player of the year

SWEETY KUMARI BIHAR KI BETI -

"international young rugby player of the year" by reputed women’s rugby website, Scrumqueens. The 19-year-old Sweety was earlier declared by Asia Rugby as the “continent’s fastest player”. Sweety, who hails from Nawada village in Barh tehsil of Patna, plays as a winger in the team, and is nicknamed India’s “Scoring Machine” by teammates.

Sweety was a sprinter before she switched to rugby. She followed her brother into athletics, but on the insistence of secretary of the state rugby association she tried out rugby.Her pace and ability to tackle the defenders without losing out her on her speed has made her a talent to watch out for. “She impressed from the start, but it was this year that she started making a big impact in Asia, at both sevens and fifteens. Described by Asia Rugby as the continent’s fastest player, her explosive pace and power has resulted in her top scoring at most of India’s sevens tournaments, as well as scoring two outstanding tries in their first ever test match win against Singapore,” Scrumqueens wrote on their website.

She was just 14 when she got to know about rugby and she herself found out everything about the game. She formed her own team and entered the state championships. After her impressive run there, she made it to the U-17 Indian team and in 2019, she broke into the senior national side. 

Her father worked as a handyman, while Sweety’s mother was an anganwadi worker. Speaking about her relations with her family, she said: “My father put me ahead of others and helped me in every way he could.I would tell coaches to lend me spikes, I would prove I deserved them by winning”. Sweety enjoys stardom in her home state Bihar, where the government has elevated rugby to the level of sports like cricket and rugby and offers jobs to talented rugby players. In Pacific nations that boast a strong rugby tradition, she is surrounded by fans asking for autographs. However, Sweety is aware that her real challenge will be when she plays outside Asia and against stronger contenders around the world.