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Manisha Kumari has won a gold medal in the 4×400 metres relay at the South Asian Athletics Championship recently held in Jharkhand. She is the first athlete from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh to win gold in an international event. The championship took place at the Birsa Munda Stadium in Ranchi. The 24-year-old Manisha hails from Utpur village and is the daughter of Ramesh Chand, a truck driver, and Sheela Devi, a homemaker. District Athletics Association President Pankaj Bhartiya congratulated her, stating that she has brought great honour to the state. He noted that she is the first athlete trained at the Government PG College, Hamirpur’s synthetic sports ground to achieve such a distinction. “Over the past two years, Manisha has shown consistent performance at the national level. She secured her place in the national team after winning gold in the 400 metres race at the Open Athletics Competition held in Sangrur, Punjab, clocking 53.81 seconds,” he said. Manisha also won a bronze medal at the 64th National Inter-State Championship. Speaking about her achievement, Manisha said it is a win for all the daughters of the state. She mentioned that she had promised to bring home a medal before the championship. She expressed her gratitude to the Hamirpur District Athletics Association, the Himachal Pradesh Athletics Association, her parents, teachers, and coaches for their constant encouragement and support throughout her journey. With PTI Inputs