Ski championship lures sportspersons in Manali

Manali, Feb 18 (ANI): The Alpine Skiing competition held at the popular tourist resort in Manali in Himachal Pradesh saw huge participation from skiers across India on the second day of the championship.

Hundreds of spectators attended the competition on Thursday.

Students between the ages of 11-18 years were seen enthusiastically participating in the giant Slalom Junior competition which is divided into subgroups of 11-15 years old and 16-18 years, with girls and boys competing in different categories.

First-time participant, Sehaj Gulati expressed her enthusiasm, saying she was nervous throughout the ski course until she reached the final line.

" This is the first time I have participated in the competition and it was a great experience," said Gulati.

Elbin Kanwar of Manali sports club, who got the second prize at the 11-15 years category in Giant Slalom Junior Competition, said his goal was to give his best in the competition.

"The competition was joyous, I loved it. And everything was right there," said Kanwar.

Due to heavy snowstorm in Solang Nala, the senior categories of Giant Slalom competition were postponed for Friday.

Senior Women Giant Slalom and snowboard competition will also be conducted on Friday.

The number of participants this year have been around 170 players representing 24 winter sports clubs of Indian Army, Navy, Air Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and teams of host state Himachal Pradesh.

The Alpine Skiing competition along the snowy slopes of Solang Nala began on 16 February.

The three-day long competition ended on 18 February. (ANI)