Harjot, a Class X student at Nanakana Sahib Public Senior Secondary School, Gill Road, won the gold medal in the under-17 category while Amanpreet, a Class XII student at Guru Harkrishan Public Senior Secondary School, Dugri, won in the under-19 category. In all, there were 40 participants from eight states in these categories.

For Harjot and Amanpreet, sport runs in the family. Their businessman father Hardeep Singh has been an international-level weightlifter and their mother Sharanjeet Kaur is Asian gold medallist in hockey. She is now serving as the head of the physical education department at Government College for Women, Ludhiana.

Talking about the achievement, a delighted Harjot said, “This is what we had dreamt of while going to the National Games. For a year now, our father has been training us rigorously. We practise for three hours at a stretch every day. Our ultimate aim is to win gold medals at the Olympics.”

On their training regimen, he said, “I started practising with a 20-kg rod and gradually moved to higher weights. I participated in the 90-kg snatch and the 110-kg clean and jerk. Amanpreet participated in the 92-kg snatch and the 110-kg clean and jerk.”

Nanakana Sahib School principal Harmeet Kaur told Newsline, “Our school caters mainly to the rural areas. So, we get students with very good physical stamina. Every year, nearly 300 players from our school participate in the National Games.”

While expressing her joy, Harjot’s physical-education teacher Baljeet Kaur said, “My colleague Suman Kant and I have been trying our best to polish these budding players. It is a matter of great pride for us that students from our school have been excelling at volleyball, handball, throwball and weight-lifting.”

Harjot and Amanpreet even received praise from Avtar Singh Makkar, president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabadhak Committee, who also happens to head the Nanakana Sahib School Trust. Makkar announced a cash award of Rs 5,100 for Harjot. Incidentally, Amanpreet is also an old student of Nanakana Sahib School.