NaMo Marathon draws large participation in Gangtok

GANGTOK, : The Department of Sports and Youth Affairs (SYA), Government of Sikkim, successfully organised the NaMo Marathon on Wednesday morning at Ridge Park, Gangtok. The event was held as part of the nationwide SewaPakhwada initiative, being observed from September 17 to October 2.

The marathon was flagged-off by Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang-Golay, who attended as the chief guest. Also present were Sports minister Raju Basnet, Syari MLA TenzingNorbuLamtha, Gangtok MLA Delay NamgyalBarfungpa, SYA advisor BikramPradhan, SYA chairman RinzingWangyalBhutia, Sports and Youth Development Board chairperson BasantYonzon, Labour Welfare Board chairman Prem Raj Gurung, and SYA secretary YangchenDomaTamang, along with various officials and staff of the department.

Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister extended his best wishes to all the participants and emphasized that participating in sports is a victory in itself. He expressed pride in the overwhelming turnout for the NaMo Marathon, which was conducted in four categories, and praised the department for organising the event on such a grand scale in a short period of time.

Speaking to the media, SYA secretary YangchenDomaTamang stated that the NaMo Marathon is being organised across 75 cities nationwide as part of the Prime Minister’s vision of promoting a healthy and fit India. Gangtok was among the selected cities to host the event. She added that the aim of the marathon was to promote physical fitness, encourage community participation, and inspire citizens to adopt a more active lifestyle.

A total of 711 athletes registered for the marathon in Gangtok, out of which 501 participated, including athletes from neighboring States. Notably, athletes from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana secured top positions in the open category.

Results Overview:

21 km Open Half Marathon:

Men’s Category: 1st place – Prince Raj Yadav (Uttar Pradesh)

Women’s Category: 1st place – Munni (Haryana)

21 km Masters Category:

Men’s Category: 1st place – PraveshTamang (Darjeeling)

Women’s Category: 1st place – SaraswatiRai (Kalimpong) 

3 km (10–12 years category):

Boys: 1st place – Chewang K. Tamang

Girls: 1st place – SagunRai

3 km (13–16 years category):

Boys: 1st place – SafalGurung

Girls: 1st place – ApsaraChettri

The top three winners in each category received cash prizes, mementoes, and certificates, while consolation prizes were also distributed.