CHENNAI: Kabaddi gold medalist players from Kannagi Nagar and Mannargudi were given a warm welcome at the Chennai airport as they returned home from the Asian Youth Games held in Bahrain.
Karthika from Kannagi Nagar, Chennai, helped the Indian women's team win the gold medal in the Kabaddi competition. Similarly, in the men's team, a player named Avinesh from the Vaduvur area near Mannargudi in Tamil Nadu also helped the Indian team win the gold medal.
After nine years, a player from Tamil Nadu was once again selected for the Indian women's Kabaddi team and helped the team win the gold medal. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin congratulated Karthika.
The Asian Youth Games were held in Bahrain from the 19th to the 23rd of this month. Nineteen types of sports were held as part of the event, with players from 45 countries participating.
In addition, this year's Kabaddi competition was included in the Asian Games for the under-18 age group. In this Asian Youth Kabaddi competition, 14 teams participated in the men's category and 10 teams in the women's category.
In the men's Kabaddi final, the Indian team defeated Iran 35–32 to win the gold medal. Similarly, in the women's category, the Indian team defeated Iran 75–21 and won the gold medal.
In this situation, gold medalist and record-breaking player Karthika and Kabaddi player Avinesh returned to Chennai by plane this afternoon. They were given a warm welcome at the Chennai airport by the Tamil Nadu Sports Development Authority.