Goa’s Venson Paes scored the match-winner with just four seconds remaining to help India to a 2-1 win against Saint Lucia and clinch the gold medal in the men’s seven-a-side football, while Aslam Ganjanawar picked up a silver in men’s judo on the penultimate day of the Special Olympics Summer Games Berlin 2023.
Tied 1-1, and with the clock ticking towards the final whistle, it was Paes who went down the left flank and squeezed in a left-footed try past the Saint Lucia goalkeeper to hand India a deserving win.
The two teams had settled for a 2-2 draw when they clashed in the preliminary rounds earlier in the week. Besides Paes, it was Joel Rodrigues, Francis Parisapogu and Aman Nadaf as the other Goans featuring in the Indian men’s football team.
“The key to our success lay not just in the support we got from Special Olympics Bharat and Goa, but also due to a strict training schedule and hard work from our players,” coach Kazmiro Fernandes, stated.
“We had to wait for a long time for this medal, and this makes our win even more memorable. We dedicate this gold medal to our country and to Goa,” he added.
“We owe this victory to God alone,” an emotional Parisapogu blurted.
Assistant coach Prakash Velip was elated at the win as well. “This medal was truly a team effort. Everyone played their part and today, we can bask in this glory that we are gold medal winners in football on the international stage,” Velip remarked.
Meanwhile, Goa’s Aslam Babajan Ganjanawar picked up a silver in the men’s judo competition. Ganjanawar finished in second spot behind Marc Heij of The Netherlands, while Sweden’s Rasmus Pettersson took the bronze.
Manfil Ferrao was another Goan featuring in the medals tally as the men’s / Mixed Team basketball competition saw Team Bharat win gold with a 6-3 win against Portugal.
Two Goan girls played a prominent role as India beat Chinese Taipei to snatch the bronze in the unified women’s seven-a-side football later in the evening.
Goa’s Gayatri Fatarpekar stood strong between the posts, while teammate Kajal Jadhav was impressive in the defence as India ended third best in the unified football competition.
