Gujarat Mallakhamb Athletes Win Medals in Jhansi Nationals

New Delhi, October 29: Gujarat's mallakhamb athletes earned a strong haul of medals at the All India Mallakhamb Championship 2026, organised as the Shri Sitaram Gupta Memorial event in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. The competition ran from September 27 to 29 and featured teams from 14 states.

Vadodara's Diya Rawal earned silver and bronze in the Under-16 girls category. Devvrat Pandya won gold and silver in the Under-18 boys category.

Diya reflected on her performance, saying, "I participated in the Under-16 category at the Jhansi Mallakhamb competition. I won silver in the team championship and bronze in the individual competition." Devvrat Pandya said, "I went to Jhansi to take part in the national event. Our team won gold, and I secured silver in the individual event."

Rahul Chokshi, Secretary of the Gujarat State Mallakhamb Association, said the selected children were given more practice time so they could compete effectively at the national level. He added that the association conducted training at various locations and provided all the support it could.

The families of the two athletes are overjoyed. They believe the Gujarat government's efforts to provide better facilities are motivating players, and that this is helping sportspersons make the state proud at home and abroad.

Diya's mother, Pallavi Rawal, recalled that Diya took up Mallakhamb in Class 6 and is now progressing well. She noted that Diya has competed in six to eight national events. "We are very happy with her performance," she said.

Devvrat's father, Vipul Kumar Pandya, highlighted the growth of the sports sector. He cited programmes such as Khelo India Khelega Gujarat, Jeetega Gujarat and Khel Mahakumbh, saying they offer players better opportunities to show their skills and grow.

Gujarat's medal tally at the event also included gold for the Under-19 boys and Under-14 girls teams. The Under-16 girls team won silver, and the Under-14 boys team took bronze.