KT News Service
JAMMU, Sep 29 The credit for opening India’s gold medal hunt at the South Asia Federation (SAF) Games goes to Ladakh’s Rigzen Angmo who outclassed the field by finishing first in the strenous women’s marathon event at Kathmandu on Sunday.
The thirty year old dimunive marathoner from Leh outclassed the field to win the 42.195 km race in two hours 35 minutes and 36 seconds.
She led from start to finish pushing Sri Lanka’s DA Inoka (2 hours 57 minutes 41 seconds, and Wad Chanrakanti (3:12:31) to be contented with silver and bronze respectively.
V.Satyabhama, the second Indian in the field, trailed in at three hours 18 minutes and 40 seconds managing only the fourth position.
Despite early morning chilly weather, Angmo showed better resilience and endurance to win the gruelling race .
Drawing upon the advantage of her hailing from the Himalayan region of Leh in Ladakh , where she used to running, Angmo found the condition and situation favouring her.
Revelling under the conditions, she got off to a slow start and accelerated towards the middle for a slender lead and pressed home the advantage, reports UNI from Kathmandu.
Hailing from Skurbyuchan village in Leh Rigzen Angmo had her early grooming in the Lamdon School at Leh from where she passed her matriculation.
It was in her tender age that she acquired interest and practiced in marathon.
According to locals, Rigzen used to run on 36 km Nemo-Leh road regularly for her pratcice.
One source said that once an Army brigadier driving on the road found her running and encouraged her in this field.
She was later recruited in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and presently holds the rank of Inspector and is based in Delhi.She is married to a Ladakhi engineer in the Works Department of Jammu and Kashmir who is posted presently in Delhi.
They have one child.
Ironically while the entire country in general and Ladakh and rest of Jammu and Kashmir is proud of this splendid feat of Rigzen Angmo the State authorities and the J&K Sports Council have taken no notice of her remarkable achievement in the SAF Games.
This was Angmo’s fourth international title and she had achieved distinction in a number of national events.
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