Reliance Foundation Athletes Shine with Six Medals at Khelo India Youth Games

Bhubaneswar: Reliance Foundation’s young athletes left an indelible mark at the Khelo India Youth Games in Tamil Nadu, securing a remarkable six medals, including three golds, two silvers, and one bronze. The competition, held in Tamil Nadu this year, witnessed the exceptional performance of Reliance Foundation’s budding sports talents.

Thrower Ommkar Prasad Nanda showcased outstanding prowess by clinching gold in both shot put and hammer throw events. His remarkable distances of 18.48m in shot put and 65.08m in hammer throw showcased his excellence in the field.

The promising Mohammad Reyan Basha continued to make waves, securing gold with a stellar time of 10.81s in the men’s 100m event. Additionally, he played a crucial role in the Odisha 1000m sprint medley team, contributing to their silver medal alongside fellow Reliance Foundation athlete Rajendra Sidhu.

Expressing his elation, Reyan stated, “I’m happy to win Gold at this prestigious tournament. This Gold will give me a lot of confidence as I make the transition to the senior level. I would like to thank my coach and the support staff at the Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High-Performance Centre. I had gone in with the best possible preparation, and this result is a reward for all the hard work we had put in.”

The remaining two medals were secured by Sunita Santa, who claimed bronze in the women’s 2000m steeplechase event with a time of 7:21.16s, and hurdler Sandeep Gond, who won silver in the men’s 110m hurdles with an impressive time of 13.89s.

Martin Owens, Head Coach at Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High-Performance Centre, expressed his satisfaction, stating, “We had a fantastic Khelo India Youth Games. Our athletes performed fantastically well. Ommkar put in a brilliant effort to win his two Golds in the space of two hours. In between that, Reyan ran a great race to win gold in the 100m. That gave us 3 Golds on the 2nd day of the athletics competition. Sunita ran a heroic race as well, and with some more polishing, she should be a top contender for Gold in her event at the Youth National Games. I’m really proud of the effort that all our athletes put in, which resulted in Odisha winning a silver in the overall boys’ championship and the coaches and staff that provided support to the Odisha team. We will take the learnings and look to win Gold next time.”