Kolhapur Zilla Parishad's school student selected for world wrestling meet

Kolhapur: A student of the Kolhapur Zilla Parishad's resident sports school has been selected for the Cadet World Wrestling Championship at Zagreb, Croatia next month.

The student, Disha Karande, along with two other students Smita Patil and Vishranti Patil, participated in under-17 category at the international championship trials at

Lucknow recently, her coach Vikas Patil said.

"I am happy to get a chance to represent India. My dream is to get an Olympics medal for the country," Disha said.

The school complex is located at Shingnapur village in Panhala taluka of Kolhapur district and is the first such sports school started by a Zilla Parishad in Maharashtra.

It was started in 2014 when Dr Vijay Suryawanshi was the Kolhapur Zilla Parishad chief executive officer. The IAS officer, now district collector of Raigad, said he was glad to see the school doing well.

"When I conceptualised the school, I dreamt that one day a student of this school will participate at international level and win accolades for the country. My happiness knew no bounds when I got the news of Disha Karande being selected for the world championship, fulfilling the dream of those who worked hard to bring up this school," he said.

"When we launched the school, students track record and their willingness to join the sports school were gauged during interview. Those selected were imparted free coaching in their sports along with regular schooling, food and boarding facilities," Suryawanshi said.

"The idea of starting a sports school was conceived when the taluka-level school tournaments were going on. It was sad to see talented students lose their matches due to lack of proper coaching. We then decided to nurture their skills and get the best out of them," he said.

The resident sports complex hosts a hostel and schooling facility for more than 100 students, with coaching imparted in 13 different sports such as kho kho, kabaddi, football, volleyball, wrestling, archery, long jump, high jump, and running.

"We received funds from the district planning and development council for the project," Suryawanshi said.