The Jharkhand Special Olympics team in Jamshedpur before leaving for Chennai. File picture

Special athletes from Jharkhand ended their campaign at the inaugural National Games (for all disabilities) with 28 medals — six gold, 11 silver and as many bronze.

The athletes, mostly from Jamshedpur, impressed with their agility throughout the six-day event, which will conclude at Chennai tomorrow.

Jharkhand clinched one gold medal in 5-a-side football (deaf and dumb), two in bocce and three in athletics. The silver haul unfolded in bocce, athletics, badminton while the outfit bagged bronze in 5-a-side soccer (mentally retarded), athletics and badminton.

The six-member mute squad of Vikram Naik (private institution), Md Sabhan, Gurucharan Singh, Sajid Ali (all Asha Kiran, Jamshedpur), Raj Singh and Deepak Kashyap (Sedeswar Deaf and Dumb School, Jamshedpur), faced stiff challenge from Punjab before eventually claiming the gold with a 1-0 win.

Monika Mahato (Asha Kiran) and Arun Kumar (Deepshikha, Ranchi) came up with a similar feat in bocce singles for mentally retarded even as Sunil Bando (Deepshikha) took the top slot in long jump for deaf and dumb.

Soni Kumari of Ranchi-based Madhur Muskan took part in 50m run for mentally retarded to pocket gold while Seraikela’s Lalita Hembrom hurled the iron ball to a commendable distance to finish first in shot put for physically challenged.

Besides topping in singles, the duo of Monika and Arun also walked home with silver in mixed doubles bocce. Sunil Bando claimed his second medal, this time silver, in shot put while schoolmate Pradeep Toppo finished second in 200m run.

Soni Kumari also bagged her second medal, a silver, in soft ball whereas Arun picked his third medal, again silver, in shot put for the mentally challenged. Prashant Kumar Singh, who studies at a private institution in Jamshedpur, also won silver in shot put.

The special athletes also excelled in badminton with Gurbir Kaur, Rohit Nag, Jagriti Kumari (all Asha Kiran) and Mukesh Jha (Sedeswar Deaf and Dumb School) pocketing silver medals in singles. Rohit and Jagriti also finished second in mixed doubles.

Shabbu Khatoon (Ranchi) and Prashant Kumar Sinha managed bronze in badminton for physically challenged.

The state outfit, comprising Rahul Kumar, Purshottam Kumar Singh (both Asha Kiran), Noorul Hassan, Debashish Bagal (School of Hope), David Bansryar and P. Uday Shankar (both Society for Technical Assistance and Remedial Training, Jamshedpur), had to be satisfied with bronze in 5-a-side soccer for mentally retarded.

Jharkhand also came third in shot put for the mute, thanks to Preeti Raj of Asha Lata School, Bokaro. The bronze brigade included Arun Kumar of Deepshikha, who ended his stint at the event with his fourth medal — this time in 100m run, Prashant, who claimed his second medal in 200m run and Deepshikha’s Keshav Kumar, who bagged the third slot in 100m run for mentally retarded.

Apart from the shot put gold, Lalita Hembrom also won bronze in 100m while Ranchi’s Kameshwar Mahato bagged bronze in 100m and also shot put. Usha Kumari of Seraikela also picked up shot put bronze in junior section.

Special Olympics Bharat Jharkhand unit president T.V. Narendran and area director Bailey Bodhanwala expressed happiness over the excellent performance of the athletes. O.S. Ashok Kumar, head of delegation of the state outfit, was also pleased.

State unit assistant area director Satbir Singh Sahota said the 32-member team would be back in Jamshedpur on February 24. “It’s a superb show by our athletes. I think proper training and guidance were the secret of the success show in Chennai,” he added.