NEW DELHI, AUG 12 (PTI): Durgapur youngster Aaleina Sen clinched a gold medal in the Kumite Under-11, above 45kg category at the 20th All India Independence Cup Karate Championship 2026 here.
The championship was held at Talkatora Stadium from August 7-9 and featured nearly 2,000 karatekas from across the country.
Aaleina defeated opponents from Delhi and Uttar Pradesh in two successive bouts to emerge champion in her category.
She also bagged a bronze medal in the Under-11 Kata category, adding to an impressive outing at the national-level competition.
A student of Durgapur Karate Academy, Aaleina trains under Rensi Samir Kumar Mondal, a sixth Dan black belt and former Army and National Security Guard personnel.
The tournament, organised under the aegis of Karate India Organisation (KIO) president Bharat Sharma, also witnessed the presence of several prominent figures from the sport, including Asian Karate Championship gold medallist Alisha Choudhury, Indian team captain Aniket Gupta and international-level player Akash Kumar.
Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of former Union minister Sushma Swaraj, was also present at the event.
Choudhury holds the distinction of becoming the first Indian karateka to win gold at the Asian Karate Championships, having defeated a Japanese opponent in the final.
Aaleina’s latest medals add to her growing list of achievements and underline the impact of the structured training and disciplined approach at Durgapur Karate Academy.