The Hindu : Memorable day for Kamini

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 26, 2003

Sport

Sport - Wrestling

Memorable day for Kamini

By Our Sports Reporter

CHENNAI MAY 25. MTNL Delhi (67 points) emerged champion in the senior section of the seventh National women's wrestling championship, which concluded at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium on Sunday.

Haryana, with 49 points, came second while Manipur (43) finished third.

Seventeen-year-old year-old Kamini Yadav of MTNL was declared the best wrestler of the championship and took home a cash prize of Rs. 2,100. She won the 48-kg category, overcoming the challenge of Delhi's Babita Nagar in just 10 seconds (by fall) in the final.

Kiran Sihag, also of MTNL, continued her domination in the 67-kg section with an easy victory over Vandana Chaudhry of Uttar Pradesh.

The chief guest M.S. Malik, President, Wrestling Federation of India, announced a cash award of Rs. 25,000 for the 25-member Tamil Nadu team which made its debut in the championship.

In his speech, among other things, he spoke about the AKHARA scheme through which the Sports Authority of India will provide coaches, mats and gym facilities for the grapplers.

Malik said the scheme is in vogue in States like Delhi, Maharashtra and Haryana. A similar scheme, he said, would be implemented in Tamil Nadu soon.

In this meet, the winner, runner-up and third-place wrestlers in each category received Rs. 7,000, Rs. 5,000, and Rs. 3,000 each respectively.

In what seems to be the norm in such events, the evening bouts began two hours late.

The results:

Overall championship:

Juniors:

1. Haryana (69 pts), 2. Punjab (61), 3. NCR Delhi (41); Sub-juniors: 1. Haryana (77), 2. Rajasthan (70), 3. Punjab (63).

Seniors (finals): 48-kg: Kamini Yadav (MTNL Delhi) bt Babita Nagar (Del) by fall; 51-kg: Sumail (MTNL Delhi) bt Neha Rathi (Har) on points; 55-kg: Sheenu Jain (MTNL Delhi) bt Krishana (Har) by fall; 59-kg: Alka Tomer (MTNL Delhi) bt L. Kiran Chanu (Man) by fall; 63-kg: Manjeet Kaur (Pun) bt Geetika Jakhad (Har) by fall; 67-kg: Kiran Sihag (MTNL Delhi) bt Vandana Chaudry (UP) by fall.

Sub-juniors (top-two): 38-kg: 1. Minaxi Garg (Raj), 2. Manjit (Har); 40-kg: 1. Geeta (Har), 2. Neetu (UA); 43-kg: 1. Rachna Shekhawat (Har), 2. Sumesh (UA); 46-kg: 1. Guddi Pawar (U.P.), 2. Rekha Rathod (UA); 49-kg: Lromila Devi (Man), 2. Pinky (Har); 52-kg: Sunita (Har), 2. Ychan-Changani (Man); 56-kg: 1. Gurjit Kaur (Pun), 2. Mukesh (UA); 60-kg: Rajni Bhalla (Pun), 2. Meena Suman (Raj); 65-kg: 1. Suman (Raj), 2. Minaxi Garg (Har); 70-kg: 1. Neeru (Har), 2. Uma Deswal (Raj).

Juniors (top-two): 44-kg: 1. Ritu Bala (Pun), 2. Pushpa (Del); 48-kg: 1. Nirmal (Har), 2. Rupinder (Pun); 51-kg: 1. Meena (Har), 2. Santosh Sharma (Del); 59-kg: 1. Anita (Har), 2. C. Lalvul Mowil (Miz); 63-kg: 1. Poonam Bamal (Har), 2. Shuhwinder Kaur (Pun); 67-kg: 1. Suman Preet (Pun), 2. Jyoti (NCR Delhi); 72-kg: Kavita (Raj), 2. Seema (UA).