- Manipur becomes overall Champion; J&K eves emerge runners-up
- Tara bats for catching, coaching athletes at tender age
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Winning a big haul of medals and earning maximum points in both boys and girls sections, formidable Manipur lifted the title trophy to become overall Champion in the 68th National School Games U-14 Boys and Girls Fencing Championship, organised by the Directorate of Youth Services and Sports, under the aegis of School Games Federation of India (SGFI) at Gymnasium Hall, University of Jammu here.
Jammu and Kashmir bagged a total of six medals in the Championship with 2 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals.
Meanwhile, on the 5th and the concluding day of this Championship today, J&K fencers namely Devkaran Singh and Harnidh Singh bagged 2 bronze medals in U-14 Boys Sabre event.
The Gold medal in this event was bagged by Thongham Kishorjit Singh of Manipur, while the silver medal went to Manraj Singh of Punjab.
With a total of 28 points, Manipur emerged overall Champion in U-14 Boys, while Haryana remained runners-up with 18 points and DAV College Managing Committee with 17 points was adjudged as the second runners-up.
In U-14 Girls Fencing, Manipur earned 19 points to emerge Champion, while Jammu and Kashmir secured 18 points to bag the runners-up spot. Maharashtra with 14 points was declared as the second runners-up in this category.
Director General Youth Services and Sports, Rajinder Singh Tara was the chief guest in the Prize Distribution Ceremony, who alongwith Joint Director Youth Services and Sports Jammu, Ved Prakash and Deputy Director Youth Services and Sports, Jitendra Mishra presented medals to the teams/individuals on the occasion.
While interacting with the fencers, Tara advised them to play the game in accordance with preserving sporting spirit and sanctity of the sport, besides making balance between studies and the sports in order to yield the better results.
He said the best way to enhance standard of sports, apart from raising sufficient sports infra, is to catch the athletes young at a tender age and coach them.
“The department preferred to get the 68th National School Games in the young age groups because that is the best way to groom talent at the grass-root level and a step forward towards Government’s commitment of promoting sports in every nook and corner of J&K. It is a great feeling to witness the smooth and successful conduct of these games,” maintained Tara.
He asked the young athletes to share their feelings with the counterparts from other States and exchange culture, besides showcasing sporting talent at the national scene.
Meanwhile, the Fencing competitions in U-17 boys and girls will commence at the same venue tomorrow.