IBSF World Championship: Chennai girl becomes first-ever Indian woman to win top snooker prize
Only two other Indian women have previously reached the final of this event.
Anupama Ramachandran celebrates with the title
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu continues to produce champions across sporting disciplines, and the latest to join that list is 23-year-old Anupama Ramachandran. She clinched the gold medal at the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) World Championship and became the first Indian woman to win the title.
Balancing university commitments with her snooker career, Anupama delivered on the biggest stage and called the win one of the important moments of her journey. “It is one of the most special moments in my snooker career, and to be the first Indian woman to win this title makes it even more meaningful,” she told DT Next.
Only two other Indian women have previously reached the final of this event. Anupama is currently pursuing her second postgraduate degree in Public Policy at MOP. “Sport has helped me immensely. It helped me get admission at MOP, and I want to give a shout-out to my university for allowing me to practise whenever needed. Many colleges let you compete in tournaments, but practice is just as important. The institutions I’ve studied at have supported me throughout,” she said.
At a time when Indian women’s sport is enjoying unprecedented attention after the cricket team’s historic World Cup win, Anupama’s triumph adds another significant milestone. Her victory stands as a moment of pride for women in cue sports across the country.
The final game itself tested her resolve. “It was definitely a tough match. It was very close, and there were moments when I felt it might slip away. The last few points turned the game in my favour,” she said.
Discussing the sport’s growth, Anupama added, “In the last couple of years, the standard of competition has improved, especially among women, both in India and globally. I feel blessed to be playing in such an environment and doing well. India has many medal winners in cue sports. If they are recognised and promoted, the game will gain even more popularity.”
Her resume includes five major gold medals, among them the Asian Snooker Championship 2024, the Women’s World Cup 2023, the WWS Under-21 World Championship 2023, and the IBSF World Open Under-16 title in 2017.
