From junior to senior, Katowa’s dominance in all categories was evident in this mega competition hosted by the legendary trainer Sensei Kazuaki Kurihara from the Japan headquarters. By winning medals one after the other in various categories, Katowa contestants proved their mettle on the national stage. In the under-12 girls’ category, Ritja Roy won two golds in the team-kata and kumite categories and one silver in the kata category. In the same category, Devdatta Mukhopadhyay won gold in team-kata and bronze in kumite.

It is in this category that Katwa’s strong presence catches the eye. Among boys under 15 category, Niladri Roy won gold in kata and bronze in team-kata. Among the girls, Sanchari Dutta showed her prowess by bagging silver in kata and kumite categories and bronze in team-kata. Besides, in the under 18-20 boys category, Dev Kumar Mondal added silver medals in Kata and team-kata, winning silver medals in both categories. In the senior category, Priya Hazra and Rama Dutt achieved remarkable success in the girls category. Priya won two golds and a silver, while Rama Dutt also bagged two golds and a silver medal. Mandira Roy won gold in the team-kata category. Besides, Akash Hazra won two silver medals in the Masters category and proved that age is never a barrier to success. Around 200 contestants from 9 states of the country including West Bengal participated in this competition. Katwa’s huge success in that competition has created a special discussion in the sports circles of the district and the state.

The students and their families and the entire people of Katwa are proud of this achievement. Coach Akash Hazra said, “This is a matter of great pride for us. As a coach, I have prepared them with my all. After this success, they will have the opportunity to participate in international level competitions, this belief is what drives us forward.”

Banowarilal Chowdhary