Haflong: The Department of Sports, Dima Hasao, on Sunday felicitated young taekwondo athletes from the district who have recently brought laurels to Assam and Dima Hasao at the District Sports Office in Haflong.
On the occasion, Herojit Jidung, Member of Autonomous Council (MAC) and in-charge of the Sports and Youth Welfare Department, Dima Hasao, felicitated Benla Kemprai and Pollabi Handique, who recently won gold medals while representing Team Assam at the 5th India Taekwondo Poomsae National Championship 2026–27 held at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune, Maharashtra.
The championship was organised by India Taekwondo.
Their outstanding performances earned them selection for the National Training Camp, a key preparatory step towards the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championship 2026, scheduled to be held in Chuncheon, South Korea.
Both athletes are third-semester students and have won several medals at the state and national levels.
For her achievements in taekwondo, the Assam government appointed Benla Kemprai as a Junior Administrative Assistant under the Assam Transport Department through the sports quota in 2025.
On the occasion, eight other taekwondo athletes who won medals at the recently held All Assam State Taekwondo Championship in Mangaldai were also felicitated with Dimasa Risah (Muffler).
Among the eight athletes, six have qualified to represent Assam at the upcoming National Championships.