Rural girl wins gold in world yoga meet

Yoga student C. Kamatchi, the medal winner in the Asian yoga sports championship, has created a record of sort, winning gold in the ‘2017 World yoga sports ranking championship’ held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on December 29 and 30.

Kamatchi, who hailed from Mudukulathur in the district and studying M. Sc (yoga) at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University, presented 10 ‘asanas’ in the athletic category in the 19 to 25 age group and won gold, scoring more than 80 out of 100 marks.

“I am extremely happy to win gold in the world event and I am delighted’, the medal winner told

The Hindu over phone. She was part of the 50-member squad from India, including 20 from Tamil Nadu and the country’s only gold medal winner in the 19 to 25 age category.

Kamatchi has brought laurels to the State and the district and she deserved huge appreciation, said A. Padmanaban, who introduced and taught yoga to Kamatchi, when she was a student of Thassim Beevi Abdul Kader College for women, Kilakarai, a few years ago.

After she won silver medals in Athletic and Artistic categories in the first Pacific Asian yoga sports championship held in Thailand in May, 2017, the girl from poor family had been running from pillar to the post, seeking sponsorship for the world event, when Minister for Information Technology M. Manikandan came to her rescue.

On learning that the young yoga exponent was in need of financial assistance, the Minister called her to his home here in November and handed over cash of ₹60,000.

She had mobilised another ₹10,000 and made it to the UAE.

Kamatchi’s father was employed as driver in the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation and the people of her village had also helped her with financial support, she said.