Bronze medallist Malika Baruah with others
Dimapur, October 22 (MExN): Malika Baruah, representing the Nagaland Taekwondo Association (NTA), won a bronze medal in the girls’ under-53 kg category at the 40th Senior National Taekwondo Championship held in Puducherry from October 18-20.
By winning the medal, she also qualified for the upcoming National Games, which will be held in Uttarakhand in January 2025.
For her medal run, Baruah defeated players from West Bengal, the Taekwondo Federation of India (TFI), and Madhya Pradesh before losing in the semifinal against Chandigarh.
Additionally, NTA’s Dipika Hazarika also qualified for the National Games in the under-46 kg category. Both Baruah and Hazarika are Assam Rifles cadres currently posted at the Assam Rifles Training Centre and School (ARTC&S) Sukhovi.
According to a press release from the NTA, an 18-member Nagaland team, consisting of 8 boys and 7 girls along with 3 team officials, participated in the championship. The team was led by Senior Team Coach T Alem Aier, Team Coach Santsuthung Ngullie, and Team Manager Keneingulie.
The players also expressed appreciation to the NTA officials for providing a coaching camp for one month under a Korean coach. The team officials acknowledged NTA President Pele Khezhie, Director of Youth Resources and Sports Nagaland Kethosituo Sekhose, State Taekwondo Coach Visabiu Peseyie, and the CO Assam Rifles, Sukhovi, along with the supporting staff of Assam Rifles.
