Commonwealth Games: Railway athletes win 10 out of 26 golds
(Sourced from PTI)
Indian Railways today said that it was a matter of pride that 40% of the gold medals for India, 10 out of 26, in the recently concluded Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, were won by Railway athletes. The Indian contingent, with 66 medals in all, turned in its finest performance ever at the CWG standing third in the medals tally. Here's more.
The railway officials today said that the results of the Commonwealth games convincingly proved the public transporter's sports motto, "Think Sports, Think Railways".
"It is a matter of great pride that forming 25% of the Indian contingent, Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) athletes clinched 40% of the total golds won by India," said Rekha Yadav, Executive Director and RSPB Secretary, said in a statement. The railway athletes won 10 Golds, one Silver, and four Bronze medals in the CWG, the RSPB Secretary said.
The RSPB, this year, will be celebrating 90 years of its inception. Yadav said that 49 athletes from RSPB participated in CWG 2018 Games in disciplines like weightlifting, wrestling, hockey, athletics, basketball, and gymnastics. "Almost the entire women's hockey team comprised Railway girls," she said.
All seven wrestlers from the RSPB won medals and came back with a 100% strike rate, including five Gold medals won by Sushil Kumar, Rahul Aware, Sumit Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat, and Sakshi Malik and Kiran Bishnoi bagging a Bronze each. In weightlifting, six out of 10 Railways lifters won a medal for India that included five golds and one silver.
"The RSPB not only provides a sustainable source of livelihood through its liberal recruitment policies but also nurtures sportspersons with round the year training, camps, diet, medical support, even during their post-playing years," Yadav said.
Yadav said that excellent infrastructure spread across its network nationwide and a stellar team of in-house coaches and support staff had given the RSPB an unparalleled ecosystem for 29 sporting disciplines under its belt. "We have single-handedly supported the rise of women in sports in the country. We have empowered and encouraged young girls to pursue sports," Yadav said.
