SFA Championships Uttarakhand: Maharana Pratap Sports College crowned champions

Dehradun, Dec 13 (IANS) Maharana Pratap Sports College put up a sensational all-round show to lift the title of the second edition of the Sports For All (SFA) Championships Uttarakhand by clinching a whopping 64 medals as the exciting Olympic-style championship concluded with a bang here on Tuesday.

The Dehradun-based institution bagged 34 gold medals, 21 silver and nine bronze. For their heroics, they also took home a prize money of INR 1 lakh along with the coveted trophy. Their best performance came in athletics wherein they secured 42 medals including 21 gold and 15 silver.

Organised by Sports For All, India's leading fully integrated digital plus on-ground multi-sport platform, with an aim to revolutionise sports at the grassroots level in Uttarakhand, the second edition of the tournament tasted a great success with a participation of 9,000 from 418 schools across the state, competing in 13 sports at five venues in Dehradun.

"The overall response and the participation in the second edition of SFA Championship Uttarakhand was amazing. It motivates us to continue our efforts in order to build a strong interest towards sports among the young athletes and provide them a platform with one-of-a-kind multi-sport championship at the grassroot level. We are here to contribute to the growth of sports in the country and such results are really encouraging. We believe Uttarakhand has a lot of potential in sports and this championship demonstrated the talent it has. We have also been conducting the inaugural SFA Championships in Pune and hope it produces similar results," said Samera Khan, CMO, Sports For All.

Defending champions Patanjali Gurukulam of Haridwar finished runners-up with 25 gold, 28 silver and 13 bronze while Shivalik Academy claimed third position with 48 medals (19 gold, 15 silver and 14 bronze). For their impressive second and third-place finishes, they also secured INR 50,000 and INR 25,000 respectively with the tournament boasting a prize pool of close to INR 3 lakh.

"We are thrilled to win the title of this championship; our players performed exceedingly well. This championship is really encouraging for the youngsters. Getting such a big platform at a young age helps athletes dream big. Last seven days were exciting with every participant fighting hard and showcasing their abilities. We thank SFA for organising such a highly competitive tournament," said Tarun Negi, head coach of Maharana Pratap Sports College.

For their splendid show in the championship, Swapnil Dhyani of Kendriya Vidyalaya IIP and Summer Valley School's Aaditri Bhardwaj adjudged the Golden Boy and Golden Girl respectively as they also received a trophy and INR 25,000 each.

Him Jyoti School (11 gold, 10 silver and 8 bronze), Social Baluni Public School (9 gold, 6 silver and 3 bronze) and Bright Angels School (3 gold, 5 silver and 7 bronze) were among the other teams which were also impressive throughout the championship.

On the final day of the tournament, Maharana Pratap Sports College won the gold medal in the U-18 boys football after defeating Doon Heritage School 4-0 in the final. Doon Presidency School bagged the bronze medal after finishing third.

Besides the successful conclusion of the 11th edition in Dehradun, SFA has been currently conducting the 12th edition of the prestigious championship in Pune, which will go on till December 17. Previously, it has also held tournaments in Mumbai and Hyderabad.