Pradhan, Sahu, Nishad shine as state kayaking championship gets underway

Raipur: The state-level kayaking and canoeing championship began in Raipur, witnessing strong participation from across Chhattisgarh, with the three-day event also serving as selection trials for the upcoming junior and sub-junior national championship. Top honours in various 1000m junior categories were claimed by athletes including Jagannath Pradhan, Toran Sahu and Priya Nishad, among others, as the competition set the stage for a preparatory training camp ahead of the national meet in June.The championship got underway at the iconic Budha Talab on Sunday, drawing enthusiastic participation from athletes across Chhattisgarh. The three-day event, scheduled from May 4 to 6, is being organised by the Chhattisgarh Kayaking and Canoeing Association.The competition holds significant importance as it will serve as the selection trial for Chhattisgarh's contingent for the upcoming 36th Junior and Sub-Junior National Championship for the 2025–26 season. The national event is scheduled to be held at Sendh Lake in Naya Raipur from June 12.In the K-1 junior men 1000m event, Jagannath Pradhan clinched the gold medal, followed by Kabir Singh who secured silver and Saurabh Sahu who took bronze, while in the C-1 junior men 1000m category, Toran Sahu emerged victorious with gold, L Singh finished with silver, and Samson Singh claimed bronze; in the K-1 Junior Women 1000m event, Priya Nishad bagged the gold medal, Muskan secured silver, and Tannu Sahu settled for bronze, whereas in the C-1 junior women 1000m race, Palak won gold, Roshni took silver, and Seema Yadav earned bronze; meanwhile, in the C-2 Junior Men 1000m category, the duo of Deepak and Lakshya clinched gold, Toran and Bhavesh secured silver, and Prashant and Manish finished with bronze, and in the K-2 junior men 1000m event, Rehan and Ajay won gold, Jagannath and Mukesh claimed silver, and Satdev and Girdhar secured bronze.