Bhubaneswar: More than 5,000 sports fanatics from all parts of the state and from neighboring states like Jharkhand, Andhra and Telangana took part in the two-day Decathlon ‘Sports Utsav-2017’, which concluded at Phulnakhara here Sunday.
In different competitions Shipra Gupta emerged champion in the women’s 5km run. Samsad Ara Begum clinched the 10km title. Santosh Mumar Behera and Mukund Banra took the top honours in the men’s 5km and 10km run respectively. One hundred twenty participants took part in the running, while 35 competitors participated in the cycling.
“We have the vision of ‘sports for all and all for sports’. We want people from all walks of life to experience the beauty of sports,” stated Decathlon store manager Abhishek Thakur.
Sports fanatics in large numbers experienced the joy of various sports events like tennis, soft archery, dart, cricket, golf, martial arts, skating, table tennis, fitness, rugby, football, basketball, hockey, boxing, zorbing and kayaking. Differently abled students of Open Learning School led by coach Arpita Mohapatra also enjoyed the festival. Participants were also given professional guidance from experts in the event.
“I am ecstatic to be part of this event. I enjoyed many types of sports here. But kayaking was my favourite. I thank the mentors for their useful tips. It will be helpful to finetune my skill in future,” stated Adiba Naaz, who had come from Rourkela.
Oriya film star and Rajya Sabha MP Anubhav Mohanty joined as the chief guest to add charm to the event.
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