Judoka Ishroop wins bronze at Commonwealth C’ship

Anil Datt

Ludhiana, October 2

Ishroop Narang of Ludhiana secured bronze medal in her maiden international championship as she finished at the victory podium in the Commonwealth Judo Championship held at Walsall, Birmingham in United Kingdom from September 24 to 30.

With this achievement, Ishroop adds her name in the list of trainees of judo coach with the Punjab Sports Department Parveen Thakur who have brought fame in the international judo competition.

Earlier, trainees of Parveen Thakur namely Vishal Acharya won gold medal in the Asia Pacific Games; Priya represented the country in the World Universities Games while Prince notched up gold medal in the last edition of the Commonwealth Judo Championship.

Ishroop (13), daughter of a local hosiery businessman, started playing basketball and athletics four years ago, but discontinued with these disciplines due to lack of interest. In 2017, Ishroop joined the judo coaching centre here at the multipurpose hall of Guru Nanak Stadium.

Ishroop picked up quickly under the guidance of coach Parveen Thakur as she performed exceedingly well in all the tournaments, she took part.

During the last three years, Ishroop clinched three gold medals in different weight categories in the state championships held at Bathinda and Gurdaspur.

Last year, Ishroop stole limelight at the national level when she annexed bronze medal in the plus 44-kg weight category in the National School Games held at Ranchi in Jharkhand.

This year, Ishroop got admission in Class VIII at Jindal Vidya Mandir, Bellary, in Karnataka to pursue her passion for the game of judo. She attends training sessions there at the Inspire Institute of Sports where a team of world-class coaches, including Daronachrya award winner Jeewan Sharma, impart training to prepare the future judoka.

Ishroop who arrived here last evening to visit her parents, was given a rousing reception at the multipurpose hall. Ishroop said her fitness level had improved a lot at Bellary. “I follow a strict schedule which is required to be successful. I am confident that coaching there will help me achieve new heights at the international-level competitions in future,” she said.

Ishroop bagged bronze medal in the plus 70-kg weight category in UK and preparing hard for the ensuing Open National Judo Championship slated to be held from October 14 to 18 in Manipur.