Jamshedpur: Steel city-based climbers Talim Ansari and Aman Verma will leave no stone unturned to win medals for Jharkhand at the 23rd East Zone Sport Climbing Championship, which will unfold at JRD Tata Sports Complex in Bistupur on Saturday.
The two-day event, being organised by Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) under the aegis of Eastern Zone Committee of Indian Mountaineering Foundation, was formally inaugurated by Tata Steel sports wing chief Ravi Radhakrishnan on Friday.
Over 80 participants from Jharkhand, Bihar, Bengal and Odisha will display their prowess at the event to be held in U-13, U-16 and senior categories. The climbers will compete in lead, bouldering and speed climbing. Five climbers from Ranchi are also part of the 30-member Jharkhand outfit.
TSAF has set up an exclusive 50-ft fibre-based artificial wall for speed climbing. Bouldering and lead climbing will take place on the other facility that exists just besides the new one.
"I am well prepared to excel in this competition. I am competing in the junior section," said Talim Ansari.
"I will try my best to win medals for my state," said Aman Verma.
Jharkhand won 13 top slots in the last edition of zonal sport climbing competition held at Himalayan Institute of Mountaineering, Darjeeling, in November last year.
TSAF senior manager Hemant Gupta said Jharkhand climbers were in good form but they should not underestimate their competitors from other states. "I can say our climbers have a great chance of winning a fair number of medals at the event. They have worked hard at the training camp conducted in the run-up to the zonal competition," he added.
TSAF route setter Bibhas Roy, under whom the training camp was conducted at JRD Tata Sports Complex, said both Talim and Aman were in good form and he was sure about their prospects. "Our climbers including Khusboo Kumari and Anisha Verma are also well prepared. I am optimistic about their performance," Roy added.
The competition will be held under the supervision of IMF's Eastern Zone Committee chairman Manik Banerjee.
