Srinagar: The contingent of Jammu and Kashmir is back after a good show at the 4th edition of the ‘Khelo India’ that was held in Haryana recently.
Though J&K stood 16th out of 36 teams, the union territory fared better than states like Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Telangana, Odisha, Bihar, and others by getting gold medals in Kalaripayattu, Thang Ta, and Cycling events.
Chef de Mission for ‘Khelo India’ and Joint Secretary J&K Sports Council (JKSC) Bashir Ahmad Bhat said they had made a ‘good beginning’ and were endeavoring to do better in the future sporting events.
“Our total tally was 16. They included three gold, five silver, and six bronze medals. We were ahead of 20 other teams and we made a good beginning. However, we will have to work hard and we are making all efforts to do better in the future,” Bhat told The Kashmir Monitor.
Adil Altaf: Cycling
Adil was in news for winning gold and silver medals in the Khelo India games and even Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha congratulated him for his feat. A resident of the summer capital’s Lal Bazaar area, Adil happens to be the son of a tailor but did not let financial constraints come in the way of his success.
“Winning a silver medal and then a gold medal were big moments for me. I am glad that I achieved success after putting in a lot of hard work. I will continue to work hard and win medals at bigger events,” Adil told The Kashmir Monitor.
He is the only Kashmiri among the three gold medallists at Khelo India while others are from the Jammu region.
Anirudh Verma: Kalaripayattu
Believed to be the oldest surviving martial art in India with a history spanning over 3,000 years, Anirudh’s gold gave the practitioners of Kalaripayattu in Jammu and Kashmir a lot of encouragement.
“Anirudh Verma made Jammu and Kashmir feel proud after he clinched gold in the South Indian traditional art of Kalaripayattu. Anirudh achieved the feat in the High Kick final event of Kalaripayattu Sport by crossing the nine feet high targets. Kalaripayattu has a history spanning over 3,000 years and youth in Jammu are showing good interest in this traditional martial art form. Though it is not a recognized sport yet, the inclusion of Kalaripayattu in Khelo India and winning of gold by Anirudh has given its practitioners a lot of encouragement to the players in J&K,” said an official.
Sumit Bhagat: Thang Ta
Sumit, a resident of Ghaink of Block Bhalwal, won the gold medal in the 60 kg weight category. The Jammu and Kashmir team also got a silver and bronze medal in other Thang Ta events.
“While Sumit Bhagat brought laurels to Jammu and Kashmir by winning the gold, Sairah Zahoor got a silver medal while another player Saliq ul Islam got a bronze medal. The J&K team put up a great show at other sports too. Our ‘Gatka’ team gave a tough fight to strong teams like Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Uttarakhand and we secured two bronze medals in ‘team event Fari Stick’ and ‘Individual Single Stick’ events. Our handball team also won a bronze at Khelo India,” the official said.
