Diu (Daman and Diu) [India], May 21 : Kirtana Acharya, Prasanna Bendre and Princess Thomas, who stood at the top podium ranking following their gold medal triumphs in different categories of Pencak Silat at the Khelo India Beach Games 2025, described their feelings and laid out their future goals and ambitions.
Pencak Silat is a form of Indonesian martial art, and it was great to see a Union Territory hemmed by the Arabian Sea excelling in the open competition at these Games. Hometown favourite, Kirtana Manojkumar Acharya, struck gold in the senior female category.
Kirtana expressed her delight and told ANI, "I feel good. It was a pleasant experience for me. It has come after a lot of hard work and consistency. Thanks to my coach, who always supported me."
While trying to express her feelings of claiming gold in front of her home crowd, Kirtana is targeting international medals, emphasising the importance of KIBG for athletes.
"I cannot explain this feeling. It is a very proud moment for me to represent my state. I cannot express much in words. I am proud that I can perform with good elegance and a smile," Kirtana said.
"My next target is winning international medals, and I am going for it. It is a very good opportunity for us athletes. It is important to perform and fight in such competitions," she concluded.
Another local hero, Prasanna Bendre of Daman and Diu, won the gold in the senior men's tunggal (artistic) event. Bendre is the most accomplished player in the region, with a silver medal and two bronze medals from international events.
He won the silver in the 2022 Asian championship in Jammu and Kashmir, while his two bronze medals came in the 2024 Asian championship in Dubai and the 2024 world championship in Abu Dhabi. Bendre believes the sport's inclusion in Khelo India is "beneficial" for the athletes.
"It is a very proud moment for me. Khelo India is a very good platform. Since Pencak Silat has been added to Khelo India, it will be very beneficial for us. It is a big thing to win a gold medal at such a big stage. I am very happy about it," he said.
Princess Thomas, another gold medal winner in Pencak Silat, expressed her emotions and said, "It feels amazing, it feels exhilarating because this is my first gold medal. It was a nervy affair, but it was great and amazing. I am speechless. It was nice because I wasn't expecting it to be that way."
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