21st Usha National Athletics meet for Blind concludes

New Delhi, Dec 13 (IANS) The 21st Usha National Athletics Sports Championship for the Blind ended with a prize distribution ceremony at Thyagaraj Stadium here on Thursday.The championship witnessed six new National Records by athletes in javelin throw, long jump, discus throw, 100 metre race and shotput. Apart from this, three new Meet Records were also created. Ace Indian boxer Vijender Singh was present on the occasion to inspire the young athletes and give away the prizes.The Chairperson of the Indian Blind Sports Association, Radhika Bharat Ram lauded the spirit and prowess of the participants who took part in chess, field sports and relay race competitions. Speaking on the occasion, Vijender said: "It gives me immense pleasure to be here. Each one here is a winner today and it is truly inspirational to experience the enthusiasm, grit, commitment and skills each participant has displayed. To beat the odds and challenges that life throws at you - that is what great sportsman spirit is all about. I am sure many of the athletes here will keep the flag of India flying high all over the world."More than 600 players from across the country participated in the four-day championship including 150 female blind sports persons from across 20 states, including Delhi, Manipur, Tripura, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana and West Bengal.
--IANS gau/bg