Pramila Joyce Pinto, an inmate of Manasa Rehabilitation and Training Centre at Pambur in Udupi district, has won a gold medal and a bronze medal in roller skating event held at the 13th Special Olympics World Summer Games held at Athens in Greece from June 25 to July 4.
Trustee of the Centre Remedia D'Souza told presspersons here on Wednesday that Ms. Pinto had won the gold medal in ‘roller skating 30 metres straight line race' at the Athens Special Olympics. She had won a bronze medal in the roller skating 30 metres slalom race.
The 13th Special Olympics World Summer Games at Athens, was one of the largest sporting event for athletes with developmental disabilities, attracting nearly 7,000 athletes from over 180 countries and, 3,000 coaches and officials.
To commemorate the achievements of Ms. Pinto at the Athens Special Olympics, a procession would be held from Bantakallu Cross Road to Pambur on Thursday. Students from Pambur Church School and Narayanaguru School and inmates of Manasa Rehabilitation Centre would participate in the procession. Ms. Pinto would be welcomed earlier at Katapady in the district. She would be felicitated at the Manasa Rehabilitation and Training Centre at Pambur.
Ms. Pinto was trained by Lakshminarayana Upadhya of Ambagilu before she left for the Athens Special Olympics. She had participated in other sports events such as National Coaching and Championship Camp in Hyderabad from September 14 to 19, 2009; two camps in Puducherry from June 12 to 16, 2010 and in Hyderabad from October 24 to 30, 2010.
Besides being good at sports, Ms. Pinto had been good at cultural activities. She had participated in various cultural competitions such as dance, singing, drawing, and fancy dress held in different parts of the district and won prizes , Ms. D'Souza said.
Principal of the centre Thelma Lewis, a teacher at the centre Hemalatha, social worker Anil D'Souza, and Louis D'Almeida, president of Catholic Sabha, Udupi province, were present.
