Special Olympics medal winners return home to rousing reception at Ludhiana
20-year-old Jatinder Singh bagged a gold medal in football, Jyoti Kaur, two years his junior, clinched bronze in the unified football competition
Two district-based footballers Jatinder Singh and Jyoti Kaur who bagged laurels at the Special Olympics World Summer Games at Berlin returned home to a rousing welcome and were felicitated by the district education department.
While 20-year-old Jatinder Singh bagged a gold medal in football, Jyoti Kaur, two years his junior, clinched bronze in the unified football competition. Both of them were received by the officials from the district education and sports departments.
A Class 12 student at GSSS Uksi, Kaur has two sisters and a brother. The children lived in a single room with their parents, who work as labourers. The family partook in the celebration of the youngster’s success.
Overjoyed, Jyoti’s mother Manjit Kaur said, “Nobody from our family had thought about getting a passport as we had not dreamt to travel on a plane ever.”
Before the Covid-induced lockdown, Jyoti would participate in the 100m and 50m athletic events and started practising football during the period. She was selected in trials held at Patiala, following which she attended coaching sessions at various parts across the country including at Bokaro, Orissa.
Jatinder’s father, Gurdev, meanwhile, would accompany him to practise sessions as early as 5 am regularly. Proud of his son’s medal win, he said the family’s efforts bore fruit when Jatinder was selected for the prestigious sporting competition.
Jatinder has been playing football for the last seven years. He is a Class 11 student at GSSS Rauni. Along with football, he loves to perform bhangra and actively participates in sports activities.
“I am hopeful he will get the opportunity to represent India at other international tournaments,” Jatinder’s father, who works as a truck mechanic said.
