Young karate players from Ludhiana put up a commendable show at the 69th National School Games Karate Championship, held in Baramati, Pune, from January 27 to 29, clinching medals and bringing laurels to the district.
Naettik Sachdeva, 16, bagged a silver medal, while Vanshika Yadav, 18, secured a bronze in their respective categories, underlining their skill, grit and competitive maturity on the national stage.
Naettik’s silver medal marks yet another milestone in his steadily ascending karate career. Training in the sport for over a decade, he has already carved a niche for himself at the national level. In 2024, he had clinched a gold medal in the Under-17 boys’ 35 kg kumite category at the 68th National School Games held in New Delhi. Earlier, in 2023, Naettik won a bronze medal in the Under-14 kumite event at the National School Games. His growing medal tally also includes top finishes at several association and federation-level tournaments, notably a gold medal at a championship organised by the Punjab Karate Association and another gold at a North India tournament hosted by the Karate India Organisation. Naettik attributes his success to rigorous training under his father, Gourav Sachdeva, a four-time national medallist and an experienced karate coach.
Vanshika Yadav, who won the bronze medal at the Pune championship, has also established herself as a versatile martial artist. Besides karate, she is an accomplished kickboxer and had secured a bronze medal in the minus-66 kg category at the All India Junior Karate Championship in Dehradun in May 2024. She has represented Ludhiana in kickboxing at ‘Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan’ in 2022 and 2023.
{{/usCountry}}Vanshika Yadav, who won the bronze medal at the Pune championship, has also established herself as a versatile martial artist. Besides karate, she is an accomplished kickboxer and had secured a bronze medal in the minus-66 kg category at the All India Junior Karate Championship in Dehradun in May 2024. She has represented Ludhiana in kickboxing at ‘Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan’ in 2022 and 2023.
{{/usCountry}}A five-time state gold medallist, Vanshika had earlier won a silver medal at the Under-17 National School Games in Delhi. She recalled winning two North Zone titles at the age of seven and eight, achievements that later earned her an opportunity to play friendly matches in Japan. Aspiring to join the armed forces, Vanshika believes sports have played a crucial role in shaping her discipline, resilience and self-confidence.