GNDU athletes lend strength to Indian contingent at Asian Games
Amritsar, October 2
Athletes from Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) have made history at the 2023 Asian Games being held in Hangzhou, China. Twelve athletes from the university are competing in various disciplines at the games including fencing, shooting, cricket, cycling and water sports. GNDU athletes have performed extremely well in shooting, winning 10 medals for India.
Olympian Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar won gold in 10m air rifle team (with a new world record); bronze in 10m air rifle individual; gold in 50m rifle team (with a new world record) and silver in 50m rifle individual. Ashi Chouksey won silver in 50m rifle team; silver in 10m air rifle team; bronze in 50m rifle individual. Sift Kaur, another budding shooter from India, won gold in 50m rifle individual (with a new world record) and silver in 50m rifle team. Divyansh Singh Panwar won gold in 10m air rifle team (with a new world record). All of them are students of BPT (Bachelor of Physical Education) at GNDU campus.
As the Indian women’s cricket team celebrates its historic gold at Asian Games, one of the star performers Kanika Ahuja, an athlete from the university, added her gold medal to the tally. Kanika is a student of Hindu College, Amritsar.
Another GNDU athlete, Harmilan Bains, won silver in the women’s 1,500m final. Bains is a student of HMV College, Jalandhar. Two of GNDU’s athletes are also participating in water sports and one in fencing.
“This outstanding performance in shooting, marked by multiple world records and exceptional teamwork, is a testament to the dedication and excellence of Guru Nanak Dev University’s shooters. In cricket, Kanika Ahuja’s gold medal has added to the university’s glory,” shared Vice-Chancellor Prof Jaspal Singh Sandhu. He added that all eyes were on upcoming events in cycling, judo and fencing.
Dr Kanwar Mandeep Singh, Director, Sports, and Rajwinder Kaur, university shooting coach, congratulated all the medal winners on their remarkable performances. “What is remarkable is that no other university has contributed so much sporting strength to the Asian Games contingent from India. Our athletes are keeping the reputation high by performing well and winning medals. Of the athletes from GNDU, six have won 11 medals, while we wait for rest of them to compete in their disciplines,” said Dr Kanwar.
The last six years have seen GNDU solidify its sports programme by offering free of cost boarding and training to young athletes. The university has the distinct honour of winning MAKA (Maulana Abul Kalam Azad) Trophy for overall excellence in sports for a record 24th time.
