The 30th Inter School and 12th Inter College Karate Tournament, organised by the All Meghalaya Karate-Do Association, concluded at the Sports Authority of India campus at NEHU here on Saturday.
St Anthony’s Higher Secondary School defended their boys’ school title from last year, while Sacred Heart Girls Higher Secondary School were the girls’ school champions. Shillong College were the college team champions.
A record 609 karatekas participated this year, an increase of around 100 on 2023’s tournament. The participants were drawn from 95 different schools and seven colleges within Meghalaya.
The runners-up teams were Sunrays Secondary School (boys), Synod Higher Secondary School (girls) and St Anthony’s College (college).
The level of competition was of a high calibre and several bright karate prospects were spotted while the more experienced karatekas have continued to shine, many of whom now at the college level after having progressed up from the junior categories in years past.
The highly positive performance from Sacred Heart Girls, Sunrays and Synod HSS, not usually among the top karate schools, demonstrates the sport’s huge popularity in the state and the devotion and hard work of the young karatekas, as well as their coaches, teachers and parents.
Individual Best Karateka awards were also distributed at the prize distribution ceremony on the last day of the three-day event.
These awards went to Trevor Ryntathiang of Sevenset HSS (junior boys), Nathaniel J Thongni of All Saints Diocesan HSS (senior boys), Naomi Yuvinie Sylliang of Sacred Heart Girls HSS (junior girls), Dominica P Kharbani of Sacred Heart Girls HSS (senior girls), Ialamphang Kharkongor of Shillong College (college men) and Durka Padit of Shillong College (college women).
The chief guest on the concluding day was CT Shyamdeo, Deputy Director of the SAI Centre, Shillong. The chief guest on the opening day was Isawanda Laloo IAS, Secretary of the Sports & Youth Affairs Department. Other dignitaries to have witnessed the action included Working President of the Meghalaya State Olympic Association John F Kharshiing and MSOA General Secretary Finely L Pariat, among others.
