Tripura clinched its first gold medal in the 68th National School Under-17 Judo Championship on Friday, thanks to the extraordinary performance of its golden girl, Tania Das.
Meantime, Uma Begum from Tripura won a Gold medal in the Under-19 category of the national School Judo Championship on Friday. The u-19 Championship is being held at Ludhiana.
A student of Udaipur’s Vivekananda Judo Center, Tania once again brought pride to her state by securing the gold medal in the 48 kg category at the 68th National School Under-17 Judo Championship. The tournament, held at NSRCC Gymnasium Hall, saw Tripura bag two bronze medals on the opening day.
All eyes were on Tania on Friday, the second day of the competition. Competing in the Under-48 kg category, she displayed sheer dominance from the very first bout.
After defeating Delhi’s Jeevika Tokas in a thrilling semi-final, Tania triumphed over Madhya Pradesh’s Bhavna Joshi in the final, securing the much-coveted gold medal for Tripura.
In this category, Bhavna took home the silver medal, while Jeevika settled for bronze.
In the Under-52 kg category, Tripura’s Diring Chakma showed great promise but fell just short of the top prize. Despite a valiant effort in the final, she had to settle for silver after losing to Gujarat’s Dhrubi Chowdhury.
Dhrubi claimed the gold, while Diring’s silver brought pride to Tripura. The bronze medal in this category went to West Bengal’s Jinia Eliza Sardar.
The Under-57 kg category brought disappointment for Tripura as Binita Chakma failed to finish in the top eight.
Maharashtra’s Shravani DK won gold, Gujarat’s Darjada Khushboo claimed silver, and Uttar Pradesh’s Lagan Laskar secured bronze in this category.
On Saturday, Tripura’s hopes rest on Monalisa Debbarma, Arpita Bhowmik, and Shanti Das as they compete for medals. Joint Secretary of the State School Sports Board, Apu Roy, extended his congratulations to gold medalist Tania Das and silver medalist Diring Chakma. Coach Mihir Shil, elated with Tania’s victory, remarked, “I always believed in Tania, and she proved herself. I am confident she will reach even greater heights in the future.”
With one gold medal and three other podium finishes, Tripura’s medal tally now stands at an impressive four in just two days.
(Tripura, Northeast)