Rising numbers, golden grit: Girls make strong showing at state special olympics in Ludhiana

With participation up by 2% this year, female athletes bag top honours in mini javelin, bocce, and track events on Day 2

The growing participation of girls in the Punjab State Special Olympics is beginning to reflect in their performances, with female athletes making their mark on the medal tally on the second day of the state-level games in Ludhiana on Saturday.

Sonia, 30 (HT)

Eighteen-year-old Gudiya Soni won two bronze medals, 15-year-old Arushi clinched gold in mini javelin, and 30-year-old Sonia secured silver in individual bocce in their respective categories.

The 27th Punjab State Special Olympics Games 2026, being held at Guru Nanak Public School, Sarabha Nagar, from November 13 to 15, have brought together more than 550 students from 61 schools across the state. According to organising committee member Niranjan, girls accounted for 40% of the participants this year—up by 2% compared to last year—bringing the boy-to-girl ratio to 60:40. He added that a marked improvement in girls’ performances had also been observed this edition.

Among the medal winners, Gudiya Soni, 18, of Vajra Asha School, Jalandhar Cantt, won bronze in the 25-metre assisted walk and softball throw. An athlete with cerebral palsy whose father is a junior commissioned officer in the Army, Gudiya added these wins to a strong track record of district- and state-level medals.

For 15-year-old Arushi of JSS Asha Kiran Special School, Hoshiarpur, the gold medal in mini javelin was another milestone in her sporting journey. Arushi, who has an intellectual disability and a speech disorder, was described by her teacher as an enthusiastic student and a keen hockey player who also enjoys dancing.

Thirty-year-old Sonia, also from JSS Asha Kiran Special School, Hoshiarpur, won silver in individual bocce. The daughter of a daily-wage worker, she has already made a mark at the national level by winning gold at the National Bocce Championship in Chhattisgarh last year, besides attending international camps in Gwalior and Noida. Beyond sports, Sonia enjoys dancing, wearing jhumkas, playing golf, and participating in cultural activities.

Across other day-two divisions, Wahid Ali finished first in the 100-metre race, followed by Abhijit Singh and Gurpreet Singh. In the 200-metre event, Bablu Singh and Divyansh Walia shared the top spot, while Yowan Singh finished second and Gurpreet Singh third. Harmanpreet Singh won the 400-metre race, ahead of Lakshya Bansal and Amrinder Singh.

In the 25-metre dash/walk, Manav secured first place, followed by Ridhish Garg and Rajeev Verma. Manmeet Singh, Ranjeet Kumar, and Prakhar Morolia finished first, second, and third in the running long jump. Divanshu Kashyap, Karanjeet Singh, and Rakesh Kumar took the top three spots in shot put, while Harjot won the wheelchair 25-metre event.

In softball throw, Sameer Prasad of Hoshiarpur won gold, Haron Gold of Mohali took silver, and Gudiya Soni secured bronze. Arushi topped her mini javelin division, followed by Madhav Sharma of Hoshiarpur and Sarabjeet Singh of Kharar. In table tennis, Vishnu of Kurali won first place, Muskaan of Amritsar finished second, and Manpreet of Ropar came third.

The badminton doubles title went to Siyansh and Harman of Amritsar, with Amarjeet Singh and Gursaib Singh of Kurali finishing second, and Harshdeep Singh and Ranveer Singh of Nabha securing third place. In team bocce, Jalandhar finished first, followed by Amritsar and Ropar.