NEW DELHI: Priyanka Kewat from Madhya Pradesh has clinched a gold medal in U-18 48kg category at the International Wushu Tournament in Batumi, Georgia.
Priyanka belongs to an economically-disadvantaged family of Madhila village of Sidhi district and her father works as a cashier at a local nursing home.
"It was my first international competition, and I felt very proud to see my country's flag flying high. I am grateful to my coaches, parents and the M3M Foundation for providing me with all the support and guidance I need to live this golden moment," Priyanka said.
"The gold medal will motivate me to work harder. Now I'm focusing completely on competing in the forthcoming championship," she added.
Priyanka was initially trained by her childhood coach Manind Sher Ali Khan and is currently coached by Ratnesh Thakur, Kalyani, and Sarika Gupta at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in Bhopal.
Wushu is the Chinese term for martial arts and is a full-contact sport which is an official event at the Asian Games, Southeast Asian Games and other multi-sport events.
