BHUBANESWAR 24-Sep-2016
Promising Odisha martial artist Payal Baral bagged gold medal in junior girls kata event of the 3rd South Asian Karate Championship at Talkatora Indoor Stadium, New Delhi today. This was the first gold and second international medal for Sunabada lass Payal, who has secured one silver in junior fight event of the 8th Commonwealth Karate Championship at the same venue last year.
Talkatora Indoor Stadium, in fact, has been proving a happy hunting ground for Payal, providing her one gold, two silver and two bronze medals in different national championships in three years. Only daughter of Mahesh and Kiran Baral, Payal had qualified for the South Asian Championship by winning the title in the last Junior National Karate Championship at Talkatora Indoor Stadium earlier this year.
Payal learned the basics of karate from his father while studying in Standard-I and started her competitive career in the sport four years later. But after coming under the wings of eminent coach Hari Prasad Pattanayak, the career of Payal picked up momentum.
A courageous girl, she once used her karate skills to good effect to save her house from being burgled. After completing her schooling from Sunabeda-based V S Vidyalaya, Payal is now pursuing graduation at College of Agriculture.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOTO: Payal poses with gold medal at the Asian Karate Championship in Delhi on Sept 24, 2016.
