JIND: Overcoming numerous shortcomings and obstacles, girls from Haryana have once again made their mark across the country. At the 38th National Rowing Championship held in Tehri, Uttarakhand, the girls from Haryana bagged a series of medals. Teams from 20 states across India participated in the competition, and the girls from Haryana won several gold and silver medals.
In the double event, Suman and Kiran both won gold medals. In the girls’ quadruple event, the same girls also secured a silver medal, along with two other girls, Pavitra and Diksha. In the women’s lightweight double, Diksha and Savita won a silver medal. In the boys’ lightweight double, Lakshya Rathi and Rohit won silver. It was an intense match, and the boys narrowly missed the gold medal by a micro point but managed to secure the silver medal, said Chand Singh Chahal a retired army man who training these young rowers in Haibatpur village of Jind district.
In the men’s quadruple event, Lakshya Rathi, Ajay, Manjeet, and Ravi won silver medals as a team.
Chahal said that Haryana’s team ranked third in India in overall matches whereas Madhya Pradesh took the first position, and the Defence Services came second.
It is noteworthy that these children, who hail from rural backgrounds, do not have a proper water facility for practice. The boys and girls practice for rowing in the canal water near Haibatpur village, but the canal only runs for 10 days. After that, the children have to move to another canal. Due to the lack of water facilities, the children often wander from place to place. Despite these shortcomings, they have proven that they can win medals for India at an international level by bringing home gold medals.
Kiran and Suman have requested the Haryana government to arrange for the stoppage of water in a 2-kilometer stretch of the canal passing near Haibatpur village in Jind, so they can continue practicing after the water in the canal is stopped after 10 days. The Asian Games are scheduled to take place later this year, and the competition will be held in China in 2026. “Therefore, we urge the Haryana government to make appropriate arrangements for water stoppage so that we may bring more medal at international level,” they added.