Young athletes from the Vedanta Martial Arts Training Centre delivered a medal-winning performance at the National Karate Championships 2025, underlining Jharsuguda’s growing prominence on India’s sporting map

 

THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

JHARSUGUDA, JANUARY 20, 2026

Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, has lauded the outstanding achievements of young athletes from its Vedanta Martial Arts Training Centre who clinched multiple medals at the National Karate Championships 2025, organised by the National Karate Federation in New Delhi. Competing against some of the country’s finest martial artists, the Jharsuguda contingent showcased exceptional skill, discipline and resilience to return with an impressive haul across age categories.

Trained under Vedanta Jharsuguda’s community sports initiative, the athletes demonstrated remarkable perseverance on the national stage. Reddy Kamlesh Pradhan emerged victorious with a gold medal in Kumite in the Under-9 category. In the Under-17 segment, Muktikant Nayak secured silver in Kata and bronze in Kumite, while Om Kumar Gupta shone in the Under-19 category, winning gold in Kata and bronze in Kumite. Aniket Thakur further strengthened the medal tally by earning silver in Kata and bronze in Kumite in the Above-19 category.

The Vedanta Martial Arts Training Centre, established as part of Vedanta Jharsuguda’s commitment to holistic community development, offers structured training in karate and other martial arts for children and youth from nearby communities. With certified trainers, regular coaching sessions and exposure to district, state and national competitions, the programme focuses on nurturing physical fitness, mental resilience and self-confidence, while fostering a robust sporting ecosystem in the region.

Sharing his views, C Chandru, CEO, Vedanta Jharsuguda said, “At Vedanta Jharsuguda, we are strongly committed to achieving sustainable community development in our areas of operations, and promoting grassroots sports is an importantfacet of this endeavour. The awards won by these remarkable young athletes at the national level fill us with immense pride, demonstrating that with the right support, training and determination, success is certain.”

Echoing this sentiment, Om Kumar Gupta, gold medalist in Kata in the Under-19 category, shared his experience saying “Winning at the national level has been a dream come true. The training and support I have received at the Vedanta Martial Arts Training Centre hasreally transformed my life. This platform has given me added confidence, and I am grateful to Vedanta for making this journey possible.”

Through initiatives spanning education, health, livelihood, infrastructure and sports, Vedanta Aluminium continues to empower communities across Jharsuguda. In FY25, its social impact programmes positively impacted nearly 3.5 lakh lives across 61 villages in the region, reaffirming the company’s commitment to building stronger, healthier and more resilient communities.

Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of the country’s aluminium output at 2.42 million tonnes in FY25. A leader in value-added aluminium products used across core industries, Vedanta Aluminium ranks second in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2025 world rankings for the aluminium industry, reflecting its leadership in sustainable development practices. With world-class aluminium smelters, an alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company continues to advance its vision of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.