Climber Shivani Charak conferred J&K Govt Award-2020

QUOTE

It is a proud moment for me, my family, the mountaineering association and above all for J&K from where I belong — Shivani Charak, climber

Vikas Sharma

Tribune News Service

JAMMU, January 27

Elated over being conferred the J&K Government Award-2020, the country’s top ranked sport climber in the women category, Shivani Charak, has said the honour has further strengthened her resolve to perform well at higher levels and bring more laurels for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

As many as 11 persons have been conferred with the J&K Government Award –2020 for their outstanding performance in various fields. Shivani Charak is the only sportsperson from the UT to be conferred with the award in the sports category.

It was a difficult climb for Shivani Charak to reach this level. She has battled and survived cancer when she was just 9 years old. She has emerged as an outstanding sport climber through sheer hard work and is now an inspiration for many in J&K.

In an interview over the phone, Shivani said being awarded was the proudest moment for me. “On January 25, my father informed me that I have been selected for the award. Initially, I could not believe that it was true because last year also, my name was recommended, but I could not get the award.

This is why I was not so excited when my father informed me about it”, said Shivani. She is the only sport climber from J&K to win a bronze medal in the Asian Youth Sport Climbing Championship held at Bengaluru in December. “It is a proud moment forme, my family, the mountaineering association and above all for J&K from where I belong”, said the 18-year-old sport climber, who has bagged over 20 medals in various national competitions in the past four years.

“Right now, I am at the Indian Mountaineering Federation (IMF), New Delhi, to attend the practice session for the upcoming local sport climbing event. My focus is also to perform well at the Asian Games 2022 for which I have already been selected to represent my country. The competition is going to be tough but I am hopeful that I will do well”, she added.