BENGALURU: Seven out of eight athletes from the Siddi tribal community, who are undergoing training at a government residential school in Vidyanagar, Bengaluru, won medals at the Jayan Boxing Championship tournament in Puducherry.
While Joseph Bastavona (71-75 kg category) and Stevan Sanjan Salagatti (54-57 kg) won gold medals, Darshan Mahabaleshwara Siddi (67-71 kg) and Dinesh Shankar Siddi (48-50 kg) won silver medals and Nikhil Mariyan Siddi (50-52 kg), Kiran Sanjan Salagatti (50-52 kg -junior level)) and Hajarat Ali (42-22 kg- junior level) won the bronze. Joseph Bastavona also won the Best Boxer of the tournament title.
In a release, Sports Minister K C Narayana Gowda said, “The State Government’s attempt to select the tribal talents and give them training has been successful.”