Perambalur: Pilimisai, a sleepy village in Perambalur district wore a festive look on Sunday, as the humble villagers gave a rousing reception to Ms. Ilakkia who won the gold in the ‘International Open Karate Championship’ held at Malaysia recently, on her arrival there.
While the girl’s father and mother Muruganandham and Mrs. Geetha hailing from Pilimisai village, now reside in Chennai and working as a daily-wageworkers at the Koyambedu wholesale market, they came with their daughter to their native village today to celebrate Ilakkia’s birthday, also coinciding with International Mothers’ Day.
Ms. Ilakkia, the proud parents’ eldest daughter, is a seventh class student in a private school at Kodambakkam in Chennai and had won several Karate events at the regional and state levels.
Ilakkia in the first week of May participated in the Ipoh City International Karate Championship 2019 and Okinawa Goju Ryu Karate Championship-2019, with financial assistance of various private organisations and philanthropists and won the gold in the ‘Katta’ and fight category for under-17, defeating her rival from Canada.
Later, Ilakkia told newsmen that she will take part in the Olympic Karate events, to add glory to the nation by winning the gold. Ms. Ilakkia while thanking everyone including her poor parents for success in the Karate event at the International level this time, said if the Tamil Nadu Government help her she could achieve more for the country.
The villagers also appealed to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami to encourage Ilakkia by extending all help for her sports as well as her academic carrier.
