Boost for rowing as Mamata bags Ekalabya Award
Jul 07, 2008
The New Indian Express

Rowing in Odisha received a major fillip when the prestigious Ekalabya Award for the year 2007 was conferred on woman international Mamata Jena at a function here on Sunday.

State Agricultural Minister, Surendranath Nayak presented the award, which carried a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh, a statuette and citation.

A product of SAI Watersports Hostel, Jagatpur (Cuttack), Mamata's best achievement till date has been a bronze medal in the women's coxless four event of the 11th Asian Rowing Championship.

Currently working as an Inspector in the Central Reserve Police Force at Chandigarh, Mamata finished sixth at the Doha Asian Games in 2006. She also struck gold at the 26th Open National rowing Championship at Hyderabad the same year.

A gold and two bronze medals at the 33rd National Games at Guwahati last year remains her best success inside the country. Former National Women's National 'B' chess champion Kiran Manisha Mohanty and promising middle distance runner Dandu Soren were felicitated on the occasion with citation and cash prizes of Rs.10,000 each.

International woman rower Mamata Jena receives the 15th Ekalabya Award from Agriculture Minister Surendranath Nayak

In the absence of Mohanty, now playing a tournament in the USA, her father, Kishore Mohanty received the award.

Ekalabya Puraskar Board chairman BJ Panda and jury members were present at the function.

This is the 15th Ekalabya Award, which was instituted in 1993 by Indian Metals Public Charitable Trust with the aim to encourage outstanding young sportspersons of the State.

Past 14 recipients of the annual award include Rachita Mistry, Anuradha Biswal (both athletics); Dilip Tirkey, Lazrus Barla, Praboth Tirkey, Ignace Tirkey, William Xalxo, Gloria Dung Dung, Subhadra Pradhan (all hockey); Debasis Mohanty, Shiv Sundar Das, Sanjay Raul, Rashmi Ranjan Parida (all cricket) and Pravasini Dwivedy (rowing).

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