A 27-member Odisha squad secured two gold and one bronze medals by the end of second day of the Sub-Junior National Judo Championship, which is being staged at Pataliputra Sports Complex, Patna, Bihar from October 13 to 17, 2016. Soma Kirsani won one gold medal in 10 to 11 years boys (+25kg) category, defeating opponents from Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Delhi and Manipur.

Last year’s gold medalist Masi Hantal missed a bronze medal in below 55kg category (14 to 15 years) as he but lost to competitors from Maharastra and Haryana after defeating opponents from Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Gujarat.

Koushak Lakra won the bronze medal in 12 to 13 years (below 45kg) category, defeating opponents from Maharashtra. He qualified for the bronze medal bout by defeating a Mizoram opponent in the repechage round. Earlier, Koushak won his first two rounds against judokas from Manipur and Uttarakhand but went down to an opponent from Punjab in the third round.

Salma Murmu won the gold medal in girls 13 to 14 years (below 40 kg) event , defeating opponents from Telengana, Maharastra, Assam, Utter Pradesh and Delhi.
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IMAGE: Odisha medalists with Judo Federation of India president, Mukesh Kumar in Patna on Oct 15, 2016.