Raiganj girl wins 2 gold medals at Nat’l Athletics Championship in Sri Lanka

Raiganj: Soniya Baisya, a girl from Raiganj of North Dinajpur district, won a gold medal in 400-metre race in the 101st National Athletics Championship 2023 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

She also bagged a gold medal in 4x400 metre relay race along with Aysarya Misra, Suva Vin and Himanshi Malik.

Raiganj broke into celebrations with this news. Soniya had previously participated in different international meets too and now, her target is to win the Asian Games in 2023.

Soniya is a resident of Netaji Pally. Her father, Baren Baisya, is a contractor by profession. He is also a sports lover. Since childhood, Sonia used to accompany her father to the ground and practice running. Later on, she was trained by coach K C Roy, of Raiganj.

Baren Baisya, father of Soniya, said: “Since childhood, she loved games and sports. She worked hard to achieve her goal. She participated in different international competitions, including commonwealth games. This year, she will represent our country in the Asian games to be held in China. Now she will be staying in Pune for intensive coaching. We are happy with her success.”

Sudip Biswas, the secretary of North Dinajpur district sports association said: “Soniya has had a series of successes in athletic competition. Winning gold medals in the National Athletics Championship in Sri Lanka has made our district and state proud. When she returns home, we will felicitate her for this grand success.”