Tura, Oct 14: In what will be a historic moment of gargantuan proportions, Meghalaya’s Klingson D Marak, an international blind footballer from Garo Hills, will represent India at the 5th Para Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Marak has been selected for the Indian blind football team after trials in New Delhi, where several players from Meghalaya were shortlisted. He was the only player from the state to make the final selection.
A regular member of the Indian team for the past six years, Marak recently featured in the IBSA Men’s Blind Football Championship in Japan in April, where he scored against Australia and Uzbekistan. India finished fourth in the competition.
He also represented Meghalaya at the North East Zonal Tournament in Bhubaneswar in July, helping the state team secure first place. He later captained Meghalaya Chalang in the Indian Blind Football Premier League Season 2, where the team finished runners-up.
Marak trained at the Blind Football Academy in Kochi, Kerala, and attended a national coaching camp at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Training Centre for Disability Sports in Madhya Pradesh ahead of the Games.
The Meghalaya Blind Football Association has wished Marak success at the tournament, expressing hope that he will bring laurels to the state and the country.