Danishwar Hameed
A 14-year-old girl from Kulgam district, Muskan Mehraj, has secured a silver medal in the Sub-junior National Martial Art Championship held in Delhi from December 23 to 25, 2023.
Muskan, a 9th-grade student at Leeds Convent School Kulgam, expressed her happiness over the achievement and credited her success to coaches Farhan Reyaz and Shah Fasil Ali, as well as her family’s unwavering support.
The championship, organized by Bagatur Federation Cup 2023, witnessed the participation of 270 students from 15 states across India. Gindoo Foundation Awantipora’s 8 students excelled, clinching 2 gold medals, 4 silver, and 2 bronze medals.
Speaking to The Kashmiriyat, Muskan said, “I am very much happy over winning the silver medal at the national level. I started my journey of martial arts in 9th standard, kept on participating in several district, state-level, and federation cups, and won many medals both at the local and state level followed by national.”
Reflecting on her journey, Muskan highlighted the need for improved sports infrastructure in J&K, emphasizing the challenges faced due to a lack of facilities. “The biggest challenge that we face is the lack of facilities like academies, almost every sports person faces. I guess that is something which can create a great impact on your journey.” – Muskan Mehraj on sports infrastructure in J&K. Sports infrastructure needs more improvement… I guess that is something which can create a great impact on your journey,” Muskan Mehraj said.
Beyond her sporting achievements, she delivered a powerful message advocating for a healthier lifestyle, discouraging drug use, and urging parents to support their children in the sports field for a brighter future. “Every parent must support their children in the sports field as if the child is talented, he/she can make a future in the sports field.” – Muskan Mehraj’s message to parents In this era, every parent must support their children in the sports field as if the child will be talented, he/she can make a future in the sports field,” she said.
She extended a poignant message to all, emphasizing the importance of sports, discouraging drug use, while advocating for limited mobile phone usage.