Taekwondo glory for hills

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, Feb. 9: The hill contingent made a record haul at the 35th Senior and Junior National Taekwondo Championship by securing 18 medals and helping Bengal win the tourney for the first time.

This is the first time that the hill team won gold in the tourney and also the highest number of medals that the Darjeeling players bagged.

The Bengal team won 11 gold medals, of which eight were bagged by hill players. "Of the nine silver medals, Darjeeling players got four and of the 10 bronze, six were bagged by the hill participants," said Ratan Century, one of the four coaches of the team.

Bengal won 30 medals in the event organised by the Taekwondo Federation of India at Sachivalaya Gymkhana in Colaba, Mumbai, from January 22 to 24. The state team had 37 members between 12 and 30 years and 18 were from the hills.

Coach Bikash Chhetri said: "This is the first time that participants from Darjeeling have bagged gold in the championship. It is also the first time that Bengal won it."

Haryana got the second place and Manipur came third.

Anindya Gazmer, secretary of the Darjeeling District Amateur Taekwondo Association, said: "We need a hall. Our players have to practise on roads. Schools like Turnbull High School, Gymkhana Club and Kanchenjungha Public School supported us (with space). But nothing like having an indoor hall with facilities."

Chhetri said a contribution by the GTA helped. "Asha Gurung, the executive GTA Sabha member, gave us equipment worth around Rs 2 lakh last year. It included 100 floor mats and chest guards, head gears, sheen guards and arm guards. Earlier, we used to practise on cement and wooden floors and adjusting to mats would always be a problem. Moreover, the guards weigh more than a kg and the team needed time to get used to those."

Gazmer said: "We had to pool in Rs 6,000 from each participant. Bimal Gurung, the GTA chief executive, gave us some funds, but the parents have helped a lot."

The hill team of mostly junior players was drawn up mainly from Northern Taekwondo Academy, Taekowondo Sporting Academy and Himalayan Taekwondo Sports Training Centre in Darjeeling.

Iccha Malla, 15, a Class IX student, who got a gold, said she had some tough rounds."