Staff Correspondent: Dharmanagar:- At the 69th National School Games (Thang-Ta Martial Art), held in Delhi from January 26 to February 3, Kanchanpur’s talented young athlete Soman Malakar clinched the gold medal in the Under-17 Boys, 56 kg weight category, bringing immense pride to Kanchanpur and the entire state of Tripura.Soman Malakar is a resident of Subratnagar village, near Kanchanpur town. He is the son of Jayanta Malakar, an employee of the State Agriculture Department, and a Class X student of Kanchanpur Block Tila High School. Alongside his studies, Soman has shown remarkable dedication and passion for sports from a very young age.It is learnt that after Soman was selected to represent the state team at the national -level competition in Delhi, his parents were initially hesitant to send him outside the state. However, his coach Biswajit Nath personally visited Soman’s home several times to motivate and convince his parents. Eventually, with their consent, Soman departed for Delhi with the state team on January 21. His hard work paid off on January 30, when he created history by winning the gold medal in his category.Notably, in the same competition, another athlete from Tripura—Rinku Debbarma of Dhonirampur village, Sepahijala district—also enhanced the state’s prestige by winning a bronze medal in the Under-14 Boys, 48 kg weight category.Soman’s achievement has sparked widespread joy and pride among local residents, school authorities, and sports enthusiasts. Many believe that this emerging sportsperson will achieve even greater success in the future at both state and national levels. Speaking to local journalists in Kanchanpur on Sunday, Soman Malakar said, “I have won this medal only because of my parents and my coach Biswajit Nath. I will continue to train regularly and pursue this sport in. the coming days.”Later, coach Biswajit Nath expressed his happiness and wished Soman continued success. He also drew the attention of the State Sports Minister and the Director of Sports, pointing out that while other states allow participation in Under-14, Under-17, and Under-19 categories in Thang-Ta martial art, Tripura sends players only in Under-14 and Under-17 categories. As a result, Under-17 players are deprived of opportunities to compete at the Under-19 national level later, which often dampens their motivation. He earnestly appealed to the state government to consider this issue with due importance.
Facebook
Twitter