National Blind and Para Judo Championship: UP, J&K win sub-junior category

On the second day of the fifth National Blind and Para Judo Championship at the Scottish High International School on Monday, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir won championships in the sub-junior category. Haryana finished runners up.

On the second day of the fifth National Blind and Para Judo Championship at the Scottish High International School on Monday, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir won championships in the sub-junior category.

Senior category bouts will be held on Tuesday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

In the sub-junior blind category bouts, Uttar Pradesh won the championship with five golds, one silver and one bronze. Haryana finished second with three golds, seven silvers and one bronze.

In the sub-junior deaf category, J&K won the championship with three golds, two silvers and one bronze and Haryana finished second with three golds, one silver and two bronze.

The junior category matches were progressing on Monday night.

The senior category bouts will be held on Tuesday.

As many as 550 participant from 18 states, 28 referees and 36 coaches and 62 team escorts are taking part in the three day event.

Para judo varies slightly from the regular version of the game in that the players hold on to their opponents throughout the match.

Parimal S, a sub-junior category player representing Tamil Nadu, won the gold medal after he knocked out Kapil Kumar from Uttar Pradesh.

“I was sure about winning my bout as I have been training for the last three years and participated in all district and state championships,” Parimal said.

Gurgaon has one school in which over 150 students are learning and practising judo round the year.

The school -- Captain Chandan Lal Special Middle School for the Blind -- is located in Behrampur.

Mahinder Singh, a district judo coach from Gurgaon for more than two decades, is now training hearing impaired and visually challenged players in the district. As many as 19 of his students have won medals at the tournament.

“One needs to have patience and understand their moves and signs after undergoing special training in para judo. We have to be careful with these players and be with them throughout. During bouts, we have to ensure that they do not move out of mat,” Singh said.

“We have to train visually challenged players by touch. They have to feel the touch and the moves are understood by the movements made by the coach. The hearing impaired can watch and pick up techniques quickly. These players are much more focused and disciplined than other players,” Munawar Anzar, a world judo referee, said.

Haryana are the defending champions in the speech-impaired and blind categories of boys and girls. The 2016 championship was held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.