ગાંધીનગર, ૨૯ ઓક્ટોબર, ૨૦૨૬: કચ્છના માંડવી તાલુકાના મોટા ભાડિયા ગામની સભાઇબેન ગઢવી અમદાવાદમાં યોજાઈ રહેલી કોમનવેલ્થ કબડ્ડી ચેમ્પિયનશિપ ૨૦૨૬ માટે ભારતીય મહિલા ટીમમાં સ્થાન મેળવનાર ગુજરાતની પ્રથમ મહિલા ખેલાડી બની છે. એક મેચમાં તેમને બેસ્ટ ડિફેન્ડર જાહેર કરાયા, અને ભારતીય ટીમ સેમિફાઇનલમાં પહોંચી છે.

Sabhaiben Gadhvi, from Mota Bhadiya village in Mandvi taluka, Kutch, has become the first woman from Gujarat to win a place in India's women's kabaddi team, at the Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship 2026 being held in Ahmedabad. As of Thursday, October 29, 2026, she had been named best defender in one match and India had reached the semi-finals, the state's sports department said.

From a village school ground

She started on the ground of Mota Bhadiya Primary School No. 2, where principal Mayurbhai Joshi and teacher Hareshbhai Pandya spotted her talent and prepared her for the state's Khel Mahakumbh. She then studied at Navjivan Vidyalaya in Morbi, coached by Vijaykumar Chaudhary and Narsinh Rabari.

  • 2016: her school finished fourth at the state Khel Mahakumbh in Vadodara.
  • 2017: runners-up at the Khel Mahakumbh in Bhavnagar.
  • 2018: topped the Sports Authority of Gujarat's District Level Sports School (DLSS) trial for the whole state, and trained under DLSS until 2022.
  • 2022: selected for the state's Centre of Excellence (COE) scheme after medals at national level.
  • 2024: selected for the Sports Authority of India's National Centre of Excellence in Gandhinagar, where she trains now.

Her medals include Khel Mahakumbh bronze at under-14 and gold at under-17, SGFI under-19 gold, and golds at state sub-junior and senior championships. She was also in the Indian camp for the 20th Asian Games.

The department pointed to her rise as proof that grassroots programmes like DLSS work: with the right guidance and hard work, it said, Gujarat's daughters can reach the top.

More Gujarat sport: ₹9.27 crore in awards for Gujarat's Asian Games and Para Asian Games athletes.

Source

  • Gujarat Information Bureau, રમતગમત યુવા અને સાંસ્કૃતિક પ્રવૃત્તિઓ વિભાગ: press release dated 29 October 2026, “હાલમાં યોજાઇ રહેલી ‘કોમનવેલ્થ કબડ્ડી ચેમ્પિયનશિપ ૨૦૨૬- અમદાવાદ' માટે ભારતીય મહિલા ટીમમાં સ્થાન મેળવનાર ગુજરાતના પ્રથમ મહિલા ખેલાડી સભાઇબેન ગઢવી” (release ID 55411). Available on GIB's Department Releases page.
  • Photos: Gujarat Information Bureau.