Western Railway honours six Asian Games medallists at Churchgate

Six Western Railway athletes brought four gold and two silver medals back to Mumbai after representing India at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

Western Railway felicitated Navneet Kaur, Sunelita Toppo, Sonali Shingate, Raj Rani, Antim Panghal and Sonam Uttam Maskar at its Churchgate headquarters on Wednesday. Shingate, Raj Rani and Maskar attended in person; the other three joined virtually.

Kaur and Toppo were part of India’s gold-winning women’s hockey team, which beat China in the final. The win ended India’s 44-year wait for the Asian Games women’s hockey title and secured direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Shingate and Raj Rani were in the women’s kabaddi side that won gold after defeating Iran in the final. Panghal took silver in women’s 53kg freestyle wrestling, while Maskar won silver in the women’s 10m air rifle team event.

Western Railway general manager Ramashray Pandey said all of the railway’s medallists at these Games were women. The railway said athletes train at the Mahalaxmi Sports Complex in Mumbai, alongside facilities in Ahmedabad and Ujjain, and receive support including leave for training and competitions, incentives and promotions under prescribed rules.