Team Herald
sports@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Goa won two bronze medals at the 49th Sub-Junior and Junior National Yoga Sports Championship held at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, Una, Himachal Pradesh, recently. The team was represented by the Goa Yoga Association.
In the artistic solo junior boys category, TK Meghnath secured a bronze, while Tusu Manna and Kathyayani Honawarkar earned a bronze in the artistic pair sub-junior/junior girls category.
Other Goan participants included Om Damodar Govenkar (6th place, artistic solo sub-junior boys), Aaradhya Naik (6th place, artistic solo sub-junior girls), T K Meghnath and Yashwant Madar (artistic pair sub-junior/junior boys), Om Damodar Govenkar and Tejas Tandel (5th place, rhythmic pair sub-junior/junior boys), Kathyayani Honawarkar and Tusu Manna (4th place, rhythmic pair sub-junior/junior girls) and the free-flow team of Om Damodar Govenkar, Aaradhya Naik, Tusu Manna, Kathyayani Honawarkar and Kirti Itagi (5th place, sub-junior/junior boys & girls).
The team was coached by senior national medalist Damodar Govenkar and Ashwini Churi under the guidance of former assistant director of sports Navin Acharya. Association’s Secretary Hema Keni served as team manager.
The West Bengal State Yoga team won the overall General Championship, followed by Haryana as runners-up, with Maharashtra securing second runners-up.
A total of 678 yoga athletes (312 males and 366 females) from 32 States across India competed in junior categories and professional yogasana events for females. The championship featured competitions in artistic solo yoga, artistic pair yoga, rhythmic yoga and free-flow yoga judged by 159 National Yoga Referees and attended by representatives from affiliated units of the Yoga Federation of India.
Member of Parliament and former union minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Anurag Thakur was the chief guest at the valedictory function.
Thakur commended the efforts of the Yoga Federation of India, Himachal Yoga Association in promoting yoga and the Fit India movement. He also praised the artistic performances by participants from Goa, West Bengal, and Gujarat.
Also present were Asin Yoga Federation President Ashok Kumar Aggarwal, Yoga Federation of India President Indu Aggarwal, Himachal Yoga Association President Acharya Mahendra Kumar, Secretary Raman Sharma.