Three gold medalists along with one silver and four bronze medalists were felicitated by the Odisha State Karate Association (OSKA) here on Sunday.
These players had won medals at the recently concluded national karate sub-junior and junior competition held at New Delhi's Talkotara Stadium in which more than 2,000 players had participated.
"I represented Odisha in the sub-junior category. My opponent was from West Bengal. She gave a tough fight. I defeated her 5-0 and have won the gold medal. Each state had good players. This is my first medal. I want to become an international medalist," Arpita Singh told ANI.
Hari Prasad Patnayak, Secretary, OSKA, lauded the performance of the players from the state in the tournament and said the gold medalists would now participate in the international competition.
"Our players won three gold, one silver, and four bronze medals. These medals are very important for us as the players who won gold will be participating in the international competition. It's a great achievement," he said.