National paragliding championship concludes at Kapkot

Bageshwar: The National Paragliding Accuracy Championship concluded at Jalekh in Kapkot on Sunday, with 64 pilots taking part on the final day, officials said.Manish Upreti secured first place and received prize money of Rs 1 lakh. Manish Bhandari finished second and was awarded Rs 50,000, while Pankaj Kumar came third and received Rs 30,000. Five women pilots were also given encouragement awards of Rs 5,000 each.Officials said the championship highlighted Kapkot's suitability for paragliding, citing favourable terrain and weather conditions. They said the event drew participants from diverse professional backgrounds, reflecting the growing reach of adventure sports.Among the participants was Bajop Pingrop from Meghalaya, a former MLA and a current member of the district council from Rambrai–Jirangam. He is also general secretary of Meghalaya Paragliding Association. Pingrop said paragliding tested discipline and confidence, adding that skill and training were crucial in the sport. He encouraged youth in hill regions to explore adventure sports as a career option.Nachiketa Gupta, an assistant engineer with Gujarat's irrigation department, said he had been involved in paragliding since 2022 and had competed in events across Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Kerala and Tehri. Sixty-year-old pilot Bhuvan Chandra Paneru from Pithoragarh also participated and said Kapkot offered suitable conditions for the sport.Himanshu Gupta, a speed-wing pilot from Dehradun and the only such participant in the championship, flew at a speed of 115 kmph and covered the distance from Jalekh to Kedareshwar in about two-and-a-half minutes. Accuracy pilots usually take 15 to 20 minutes to cover the same stretch.District magistrate Akanksha Kondae said the district had potential for paragliding and other adventure sports and that efforts would continue to strengthen such events in the future.