Joti Mane has become the first athlete from Arunachal Pradesh to win a gold medal in a national level athletic competition.
She grabbed a gold medal in the 5000 m race in the girls’ U-20 category in the 31st East Junior Athletics Championships held in Ranchi, the capital city of Jharkhand.
Apart from bagging a gold medal, Mane also won a bronze medal in the 1500 m race in the girls’ U-20 category in the event.
Another athlete Bamo Tanang of Arunachal Pradesh bagged a bronze medal in the 10000 m race in the boys’ U-20 category in the event.
The 31st East Junior Athletics Championships was held from Saturday to Sunday.
The east zone comprises Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and the eight northeastern states.
Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu congratulated the two athletes of the state for their remarkable achievements.
Khandu tweeted:
‘#Arunachal wins its first #gold in national athletics. Splendid performance in 31st #EastZone #JuniorAthletics Championship, Ranchi.Proud of you #JotiMane for gold in 5000m and #bronze in 1500 m U-20 girls!Also proud of you #BamoTanang for bronze in 10000m in U-20 boys!’
Mane is a first year college student and Tanang studies in the twelfth standard.