Bhubaneswar: Orissa athletes finished with 13 medals at the recently-concluded Special Olympics Bharat National Skating Championships in Hyderabad.
Rajashree Mohapatra was the star performer for the state with two gold medals. She emerged champion in the women’s 30 metre straight race and slalom events.
Santosh Mallick and Rakesh Bisoi secured silver medals in the 30 metres salom and 300 metres race events respectively. Sarita Routray, Sangeta Nayak, Sonali Pradhan bagged a bronze each in the 30 metres straight, 500 metres race, 100 metres race and 30 metres straight events respectively. Rakesh also won a bronze in the 30 metres straight event. Sarita and Sonali then combined to give Orissa another bronze in the relay race.
“This is the best ever performance by Special Olympics Bharat-Orissa (SOBO) athletes. The athletes winning gold and silver medals have a very good chance of representing India in the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Abu Dhabi in 2019,” informed SOBO area director Prakash Kumar Rath.
The players, their coaches Geeta Panda, Tushar and Arpita Mohapatra were accorded warm welcome at the Bhubaneswar Railway Station by SOBO members upon their arrival in the city, Monday.
SAI initiative
Sports Authority of India (SAI) through NSNIS, Patiala started Monday a six-week certificate course on sports coaching for men and women at the KIIT campus here. The course will continue till January 25. Aspiring students will be taught the nuances of coaching in athletics, basketball, badminton, cricket, football, health and fitness, swimming, volleyball and yoga. Two hundred and twenty participants comprising 195 boys and 25 girls across the country are taking part in the camp.
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