By Our Correspondent
BARBIL/BHUBANESWAR: With JSPL Chairman Naveen Jindal and JSPL Foundation Chairperson, Shallu Jindal missing no stone unturned to help out rare talents of India including in mineral and coal rich Odisha, the Country’s leading Steel Maker , has again brought smile among tribals of mineral rich Keonjhar after Babulu Munda of Sialijoda village under Deojhar Grampanchayat of this district brought laurels by winning Gold in the 19th Junior National Wushu Championship-2021.
Supported by JSPL Foundation, the social arm of Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL), the tribal talent has clinched Gold medal in the 19th Junior National Wushu Championship-21 held at Fatehabad, Haryana from 10th to 15th March. Babulu defeated his Manipur counterpart Laishram Ramesh in the 48kg category to bag the yellow medal in a high-octane match.
In the tournament, he defeated contenders from Karnataka, Jharkhand, Delhi, Haryana & Manipur to reach the final berth. Led by coach Shri Pankaj Mahanta, the five member team- Babulu Munda, Rajesh Munda, Krishna Khandayat, Sanjeeb Naik and Shibdutta Mahakud had represented Odisha in the tourney.
Congratulating Bablu for his achievement, Chairperson of JSPL Foundation Smt Shallu Jindal said, “I am thrilled to know that Babulu Munda of Barbil groomed by JSPL Foundation has won Gold medal in Wushu National Championship held at Fatehabad, Haryana. It is notable that JSPL Foundation-supported Sports Talents are exhibiting masterful performance at National level. Babulu and his peer group have won many National and international laurels in the past. I am hopeful that the talents from tribal predominant region, nourished by JSPL Foundation will continue to make the Country proud.”
Babulu’s coach Shri Pankaj Kumar Mahanta, Wushu Association of Odisha, Wushu Association of India, Keonjhar District Wushu Association and Keonjhar District Administration have congratulated Babulu for his achievement.“The bout was tough and I gave my best”, said an elated Babulu after the game.Earlier, Babulu had won Silver medals in the 7th World Wushu Championship, Brazil and 10th Asian Junior Wushu Championships held in Brunei in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Babulu’s passion for martial arts has earned 22 medals from 25 events so far at State, National and International levels.
JSPL Foundation as a part of its mission to promote youth and sports development has been nurturing the sports talents in tribal predominant geography providing all comprehensive support ranging from infrastructure, coaching, nutrition and other associated facilities.
