J&K emerge overall champions, secures 8 gold, 4 silver, 6 bronze medals

PAMPORE: Senior J&K Pencak Association Coach Sajad Ahmad Butt, a resident of Saffron Town Pampore, bagged a gold medal in Masters Category in the Pencak Silat Senior National Championship recently held at KIIT University in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

Over 1,100 players from various parts of the country participated in the 12th edition of the Nationals, which concluded recently.

Jammu and Kashmir emerged as the overall champions in both the men’s and women’s categories of the Pencak Silat Senior National Championship.

The Pencak Silat Association Odisha organised the championship under the aegis of the Indian Pencak Silat Federation and supported by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, and the Sports Authority of India.

The J&K teams secured eight gold, four silver, and six bronze medals. Teams from host Odisha finished as runners-up with four gold, two silver, and eight bronze medals, while Uttarakhand stood third in the overall medal tally.

Speaking to Kashmir Reader, Sajad said they recently participated in the 12th National Championship held in Odisha, where Jammu and Kashmir secured the first position and Odisha secured the second position. He said Jammu and Kashmir performed exceptionally well, winning four gold, eight silver, and twelve bronze medals.

Sajad himself participated in the championship in the masters category and won a gold medal. He said he recently served as a technical official at the Jodu Cluster Police Games Martial Arts in Assam, where he received appreciation from the Governor and IG.

Sajad Ahmad said they have been practising martial arts since 1994, initially with Karate. In 1997, he joined Thangata Martial Art, where he earned a black belt and became a national and international referee. To date, he has trained thousands of children in south Kashmir, including Pulwama, Shopian, Anantnag, and Kulgam.

“My mission is to keep children away from drugs and other harmful activities,” Sajad said.

BILAL HABIB