Rasipuram silambam students win 11 medals at state championship

Students of a Rasipuram silambam training centre won 11 medals, including four golds, at the state-level silambam championship held in Tiruchirappalli last weekend. The 18-member team competed in single-stick, double-stick and stick-fighting events across age groups from under-10 to under-19. Twelve-year-old K. Harini won gold in the girls' single-stick routine, and 16-year-old T. Sanjay won the boys' stick-fighting final in his weight category. The centre trains about 120 children free of cost on the municipal school ground every evening. Its founder, a retired physical education teacher, said silambam teaches discipline and keeps the traditional Tamil art alive among the young. The medal winners were welcomed at the bus stand by parents and fellow students on their return. Five of them have been selected for the national championship in January.