The success of Asian Games gold medallist Kumkum Mohod and silver medallist Yashdeep Bhoge was celebrated with great enthusiasm here on Monday. The two sportspersons were accorded a grand victory procession from Rajkamal Chowk to Irwin Chowk. The open-jeep procession was marked by drum beats, firecrackers and enthusiastic participation by sportspersons, students, sports organisations and citizens. Dr Anil Bonde, Rajya Sabha Member, Sulbha Khodke, MLA, Ashish Yerekar, District Collector, and several prominent personalities from the sporting fraternity felicitated the two medal winners and lauded their achievement.

 

The procession began at Rajkamal Chowk and proceeded through Jaystambh Chowk and Malviya Chowk before reaching the statue of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar at Irwin Chowk. Students of Manibai Gujarati High School, players of Shri Hanuman Vyayam Prasarak Mandal, office-bearers of various sports organisations and a large number of sports enthusiasts participated in the procession. Adv Prashant Deshpande, President of Maharashtra State Archery Association, Prof Sanjay Tirathkar, Wrestling Association chief and Corporator, and several other personalities associated with sports also joined the celebrations. On reaching Irwin Chowk, Kumkum Mohod and Yashdeep Bhoge paid their respects to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.

 

The celebrations then continued amid drum beats, with participants dancing and cheering the two archers. Dr Anil Bonde felicitated Kumkum Mohod and Yashdeep Bhoge and described the two archers as the pride of Amravati. MLA Sulbha Khodke also felicitated the medal winners and congratulated them on their achievement. She said Amravati has long been known as a city of sportspersons and observed that the recent success of the three players from Amravati at the Asian Games has given fresh impetus to the city’s sporting movement. MLA Khodke said the achievements of Kumkum Mohod, Yashdeep Bhoge and Bharti Phulmali would inspire the younger generation and help encourage the emergence of more promising athletes from Amravati in the future.

 

On the occasion, the Yashpal Rana Award was ann-ounced for Kumkum Mohod in recognition of her outstanding performance as a leading woman player. The announcement was greeted with loud applause from those present, who congratulated Mohod on her achievement. Responding to the felicitation, Kumkum Mohod credited her team, the Maharashtra Associa-tion and her family for the support behind her success. She said she had received tremendous support from her entire team and the Maharashtra Association, along with the blessings of everyone around her. During the competition, her sole focus was on her performance and she had resolved not to allow anything to distract her from the task at hand, she said. “This is not the fulfilment of a dream, but the beginning of dreams,” Mohod said, signalling her determination to set and pursue bigger goals.