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Maharashtra gets the better of Uttarakhand in the closely contested finals of Goalball Nationals
Deepak Rajput from Uttarakhand was declared the best player of the tournament
Rohtak, 16th October, 2022: The Goalball Federation of India setup the Goalball nationals at Maharishi Dayanand University, Rohtak which was kickstarted on 14th October 2022. A total of 10 teams from across the country participated in the 3-day event. In the men’s’ category Maharashtra beat Uttarakhand in an edge of the seat encounter, with the final score being 10-9 in favor of Maharashtra. In the women’s category Maharashtra beat Uttarakhand by 10 goals.
Goalball is a Paralympic sport; it is specially designed for blind people of certain age. The Goalball federation of India has been working tirelessly to promote the sport across the country and tap some fine talent in the sport who would go onto bring laurels for the country in the international stage.
The founder of GFI Mr. Kunal Goyat said,
“What I learned was that these athletes were not disabled, they were super abled. The Olympics is where heroes are made, The Paralympics is where the heroes come. I am happy to be able to host the nationals of Goalball here at MDU Rohtak, we have spotted some incredible talent at the tournament and we hope to form a formidable squad that will go onto represent India in the future”
When quizzed on the quality of the tournament Kunal Goyat said
“All participants were very enthusiastic and dedicated towards their goal, all the players were extremely excited and everyone showed eagerness to win the event
He also said, their team is very dedicated and are preparing goalball players to be world-class. Their main aim is to participate in the upcoming Paralympic games and ensure that team India wins a medal at the games.
The Most Valuable Player of the tournament Deepak Singh Rawat who had a phenomenal tournament said
“I am happy with the way I performed and I wish to keep up with my form, Little unfortunate that we couldn’t win the nationals but I will like to give full credit to my team and the coaching staff. We fought till the last moment, but at the end one team had to loose which unfortunately were us.”
On being questioned about the importance of these tournaments, Deepak commented
“I would like to congratulate the Goalball federation of India and Mr. Kunal Goyat for hosting the tournament. Regular national level tournaments like these not only help in nurturing the skills of players, but also prepare them to attain confidence at the big stages. I hope to represent India at the Paralympics and win a medal for India in goalball”.
