It was a dream come true for the 17-member contingent of the Institute for Blind, Sector 26, as they bagged the overall championship trophy for the third time in the last eight years in the National Sports Meet for blind held in Ludhiana which ended on November 20. The 17-member contingent returned to Chandigarh on Monday and the team members are now hopeful of giving a similar performance in the upcoming meets. “This was my third national meet in which I bagged two gold medals and one silver medal. Last time I won one gold and one silver medal in the National Sports Meet held at Delhi in 2004 and this recent performance will boost my confidence. I am very thankful to my parents and coaches who have supported me through out the last five years,” said Mamta, a native of Sundernangar, Himachal Pradesh and currently studying in the institute. Mamta claimed two gold medals in 800 meters and 400 meters race respectively and also claimed a silver medal in 200 meters race. Another participant, Ram Dai who belongs to Shimla in Himachal Pradesh claimed one gold medal in 800 meters race in the B-2 category apart from bagging a silver and bronze in 400 meters and 200 meters respectively. “This was my second national participation and I am very happy with my performance. We hope to take part in more and more tournaments and we hope that the government will organise more practice camps for players like us,” said Ram Dai who is a student of eighth standard in the institute. Apart from Mamta and Ram Dai, seven more players bagged medals in the four-day event, thereby helping Chandigarh to win the championship. Rohit from Fazilka claimed a gold medal in 400 meters race in the B-1 category apart from bagging a silver medal in 800 meters race. “I only started taking part in athletics two years back. My interest has grown over the past two years and I am hopeful of participating in more and more tournaments. We got a lot of appreciation in the national meet and the crowd was very supportive in Ludhiana,” said Rohit whose father work as a carpenter in Fazilka.
