By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Mussoorie, 12 May: The IBU International Karate Championship was organised in Kilis, Athens, Greece, under the aegis of Funakoshi Karate Federation of India in which 10 players from India participated. Som Kumar of Mussoorie won a gold medal by securing first position in Kata, while Rohan of Haryana and Gagan of Punjab won silver medals by securing second position in Kumite. Jaswinder Singh of Punjab won a bronze medal by securing third position.
On Som Kumar’s arrival here, the local people and Municipal President Meera Saklani welcomed him by presenting a shawl and flower bouquets. While talking to journalists, Som Kumar said that the Funakoshi Karate Federation of India is a group of many organisations promoting Shotokan Karate, a popular style of Karate in India. These organisations are affiliated to world level associations and organise Karate training, competitions and seminars across the country. Under these, the competition was organised in Greece. He said that he won the gold medal by performing well in the IBU International Championship, which was his dream. He added that, before the competition in Greece, the Municipal President Meera Saklani and the councillors along with other leaders encouraged him by helping him financially, and as a result he won the gold medal for his country, state and Mussoorie. He said that, in the month of July, he will go with the Indian team to participate in an international competition to be held in England and Switzerland.
Before this, he has participated in the 13th Open International Karate Championship held in Yerevan city of Armenia in senior category where, he won a silver medal. He has also participated in a Karate competition in Dubai. He said that he has been fond of Karate since childhood and kept practicing continuously for this. Now he has got the chance to compete at the international level. He said that the Uttarakhand government is working under various schemes to encourage the players, but he has not been able to get the benefit. He appealed to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Sports Minister Rekha Arya and Mussoorie MLA and Cabinet Minister Ganesh Joshi to help him so that he can improve his game and win medals for the country. He said that in Mussoorie and surrounding areas, even small children are given free Karate and Yoga education. On this occasion, Mussoorie Students’ Union President Mohan Shahi, Anil Singh Annu, Saurabh Khanna, Deepak Bansal, Jadu, Babita Mittal and many others were also present.
