Dhanbad emerges champion in Taekwondo championship

LOHARDAGA: Dhanbad emerged as overall champion in the 10th state Taekwondo championship which concluded on the GPA Cambrian Public School ground of the Bauxite City here on Tuesday.
Boys and girls of Dhanbad team bagged 16 golds, four silvers and 12 bronze medals in three categories senior, junior and sub-junior. Bokaro stood second in the medal tally bagging 15 gold, eight silver and 16 bronze medals.Bagging 39 medals, including 10 gold, East Singhbhum secured the third position. Host Lohardaga players bagged 21 medals including four gold.
Over 300 players, including a good number of tribal boys and girls displayed their talents in the three-day state Taekwondo's official championship and Shaurav Suman Memorial Cup organized by Lohardaga District Taekwondo Association under the aegis of its state Association.
An auto driver Md Sajjad's daughter Gazala Parveen (12), a Class VII student of Cambrian Public School, Rani Bagan, Bariyatu of Ranchi remained the centre of attraction as she set a record of winning six gold medals continuously in state Taekwondo championships.
Talking to TOI, she said that she is lucky among her six brothers and sisters as her father could afford the expenses of the game. "I joined Taekwondo since I was in Class IV as the school had facilities. Later, I joined Bariyatu Taekwondo Club that helped me several times by arranging my fee and other expenses to participate in competitions in state and other parts of the country. Now 50% of the costs are managed by the club and district unit," said Gazala.
Her coach Mudassar Khan said Gazala is the best player in weight category in Jharkhand. This was her sixth gold medal at the state-level competitions. Five gold medals she bagged in official state Taekwondo and one in state school Taekwondo championship. Apart from this, she had won gold in Central Zone National Taekwondo Championship last year in September for Poomse (Kata), one of the two styles of this game that was held in Ranchi.