Sunitha Lobo and her team representing India, has won gold medal in Floor Hockey at the Special Olympics World Winter Games at Pyeong Chang, South Korea, thereby making India and well as Barkur proud.
Sunitha Lobo, a student at Manasa Rehabilitation and Training Center for Mentally Challenged Children at Pamboor, Udupi is the daughter of late Peter Lobo and Helen Lobo, natives of Hanehalli village of Barkoor. She has two brothers Kiran and Melwyn and two sisters Sharmila and Laveena. She has been a student at Manasa Special School since 1 June 2003.
Her sports talents were identified in early stages that helped her to qualify in the floor hockey selection camp held at Simla during July 2011. She was chosen for 2 preparatory Olympics in the national camp and got a chance to represent India. She displayed her sports talent during national preparatory camp held in Himachal Pradesh from January 3 to January 8, 2013.
Under of guidance and training of Rohith, the Physical Education Teacher at Manasa, Sunitha excelled in floor hockey. Besides sports Sunitha loves tailoring, dancing and singing.
Manasa Rehabilitation and Training Centre for Mentally Challenged Children president Remidiya D’Souza has expressed happiness over the performance of Sunitha Lobo. To commemorate the achievements Manasa center is planning to give Sunitha a warm welcome, she said.
Indian Athletes have created history at the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games which are currently being held at Pyeong Chang in South Korea. So far India has won 40 medals, which include 13 gold, 15 silver and 12 bronze. Over 2200 athletes from across 120 nations, are participating in the 10th Special Olympics World Winter Games which began on January 29 and will end on February 5, 2013.
Competitions are being held in eight events — alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, figure skating, short track speed skating, floor hockey and floor ball. The Indian girls floor hockey team won the gold medal while the men’s floor hockey team won the silver medal losing in the final to Taipei 1-2. Bharat Bhatia won three gold medals in the Alpine Skiing Giant Slalom event along with a silver and a bronze medal. 12-year-old Anishka Upadhyay, the youngest at the Games, won the gold medal in Alpine Skiing. The 14-year-old Bipasha Mukherji, a first time entrant into Speed Skating, won a gold medal in the 25 metres and silver medal in the 55 metres.