Gadchiroli student wins bronze at state junior wushu meet, qualifies for nationals

A student from a remote, tribal-dominated part of Gadchiroli district has won a medal at the state level and qualified for the national level. Mohan Malya Kondagorla, a class 10 student at the government residential school in Wangepalli in Aheri taluka, won a bronze medal at the 24th State-Level Junior Wushu Competition-2026 held in Pune on September 9. Gadchiroli is considered one of the state's most remote and tribal-dominated districts, and winning a medal at such a state-level competition is seen as a major achievement for students from its government residential schools.

Mohan achieved this in the Taolu-Nangun category of wushu. On the strength of this performance, he has now also qualified for the national-level competition, giving him the opportunity to showcase his skills there after his success at the state level. His success at the state meet is being attributed to consistent practice, hard work and determination.

The achievement is being seen as a notable one for sport in Gadchiroli district, coming from a student in a remote area. It has also made Mohan eligible for the qualification required for 5 percent reservation in the sports category, a benefit that could help him in his future education or career.

The guidance of coach Yash Padelwar has been credited as important to Mohan's success. Commissioner of Social Welfare Deepa Mudhol-Munde, District Collector Avishyant Panda, Regional Deputy Commissioner Prasad Kulkarni and Assistant Commissioner Dr Sachin Madavi have congratulated Mohan on his performance and wished him well for the national competition. Senior officials from the district administration and the social welfare department personally taking the initiative to congratulate him underlines the significance of this achievement.

The social welfare department is making special efforts to give students at government residential schools in the district scope to develop their sporting talent and to help students from remote areas advance in various sports at the district and state levels. This year, the target is to enable more than 100 students from the district to put up notable performances at the state level across various sports, with the aim of giving students from remote areas opportunities in the field of sports.

Mohan's state-level medal in wushu and his qualification for the national competition, coming from a remote area like Wangepalli, has strengthened the department's efforts in this direction.