Excelsior Sports Correspondent
GANDERBAL, Feb 14: The 10th National SnowShoe Championship commenced in Sonamarg today. Syed Qamar Sajad, Director Tourism Kashmir, was the chief guest and lauded the event as a significant step toward developing Sonamarg into a premier winter sports destination. He highlighted the participation of 173 athletes from 20 states and called on them to promote Kashmir as a safe and ideal destination.
Officials present included Bilal Mukhtar (Deputy Director Tourism, Recreation), SDM Kangan, SHO Sonamarg, Tariq Ghani (President, J&K SnowShoe Association), Arif Laigaroo (Vice President), Dr. Altaf-ur-Rehman (General Secretary), and other dignitaries.
On the first day, Jammu & Kashmir athletes dominated the podiums. In the Senior Men Long Distance race, Adil Rehman secured first place, followed by Abrar Wani (2nd, J&K) and Akber Ali (3rd, Ladakh). The Senior Women Long Distance category saw Dhanalakshmi of Karnataka winning gold, with Shaista (J&K) taking silver and Nusrat Sakeena (Ladakh) bronze.
The Junior Boys Long Distance title went to Zuhain Mushtaq (J&K), with Muzamil Manzoor (J&K) second and Mohd Amin (Ladakh) third. In Junior Girls Long Distance, Zareena Banoo (Ladakh) won gold, Lakshita (Haryana) silver, and Ruqaya Banoo (Ladakh) bronze.
In the Senior Men 1500m Sprint, Danish Gulbadan (J&K) took first, Mohd Jehangir (Ladakh) second, and Sahil Bashir (J&K) third. The Senior Women 800m Sprint was won by Dhanalakshmi (Karnataka), with Farahana Hamid (J&K) second and Musqan Bhat (J&K) third. Junior Boys 800m saw Muzamil Manzoor (J&K) clinching gold, Asif Teli (J&K) silver, and Amir Shabir (J&K) bronze. In Junior Girls 800m, Ruqaya Banoo (Ladakh) topped the podium, followed by Amal Kanth (J&K) and Tamana Bilal (J&K).
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