Champ rock climber returns to alma mater

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 25

City girl Shivpreet Pannu has lifted the title of the Asian Youth Rock Climbing Championship. The competition was organised by the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) and General Thimayya National National Academy Adventure (GETHNAA). Shivpreet was felicitated by her alma mater Spring Dale Senior School here on Monday.

Shivpreet competed with 283 sportspersons drawn from various countries, including China, Japan, Thailand, Philippines, Korea and more, to be adjudged champion in the junior category.

Kirat Sandhu Cheema, director of Spring Dale Educational Society, and Rajiv Kumar Sharma, principal of the school, said Shivpreet had been a consistent performer. She was a three-time national champion in speed climbing and had broken the national record twice in 2018.

Shivpreet said she wanted to tell the youth of the nation not to restrict themselves due to the assumptions of others. One has to take a plunge and get started. She said, “I wanted to see the Tricolour being hoisted and our National Anthem being played at the final event but for that the prerequisite was that an Indian wins. So I never gave up.” Shivpreet’s coach Nagendra Yadav also congratulated her and wished her good luck for the future.