Kazan (Russia): The Indian team, which participated at the 45th WorldSkills competition held here, has significantly improved its performance by winning one gold, one silver and two bronze medals.
In 2017, the Indian team had won one silver, one bronze and nine medallions of excellence.
The winners were announced at a glittering closing ceremony Tuesday that featured music, dance and fireworks at the 45th WorldSkills 2019 competition here in the capital of Tatarstan.
The ceremony was also attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
S Aswatha Narayana, 25, won the gold medal in water technology. Pranav Nutalapati, 17, won silver medal in web technologies, the WorldSkill organisers said.
Sanjoy Pramanik, 21, from West Bengal and Shweta Ratanpura, 22, from Maharastra both won bronze medals in jewellery and graphic design technology respectively, they said.
More than 1,350 Competitors from 63 countries and regions competed to win prestigious medals in 56 skills areas.
China led the final medal table with 16 golds. Russia took 14 golds, and Korea seven.
The Indian team, the sixth largest contingent at the WorldSkills stole hearts with a performance that brought alive the rich diversity and beauty of the vast country.
India first participated at the WorldSkills event in 2007.
The Albert Vidal Award, which is given to the best in the competition, was won by Russia’s Anastasiia Kamneva, who competed in chemical laboratory technology.
“To all our Champions, I say a huge well done,” Simon Bartley, President of WorldSkills, said.
“You came here as the best of the best and leave even better. You are WorldSkills ambassadors and I ask you to use every opportunity to spread the message that ‘skills change lives’,” he said.
Apart from Russian President Putin, the closing ceremony was also attended by the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Tatyana Golikova, and the President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov.
“This competition has become the largest and most representative in the history of the movement. It has become a remarkable, unforgettable, and grand event,” said Putin.
“Half a million Russian citizens have already joined this movement, while the number of supporters and participants is steadily growing. In our country WorldSkills has become a key element of an advanced system of professional training which we are developing,” he added.
WorldSkills Kazan 2019 was the 45th WorldSkills Competition, and the first to be held in the Russian Federation.
It was also the largest to date with an estimated 270,000 people attending the event which included opening and closing ceremonies, and skills celebrations in public parks.
At the end of the ceremony, the WorldSkills flag was handed over by the Russian hosts to a delegation from China as the 46th edition of the WorldSkills Competition will be held in Shanghai, China in September 2021.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev inaugurated the six-day event August 22.
Around 35,000 people attended the event at the Kazan Arena.
Contestants from India who represented the country at the global stage had made it at WorldSkills Kazan 2019 after a gruelling selection procedure where they went through a series of skill competitions conducted at different levels in India.
The team participated in 44 skills including mobile robotics, prototype modelling, hairdressing, baking, confectionary & patisserie, welding, brick laying, car painting and floristry.
Most of these competitors, whose average age is 22, come from very humble backgrounds from tier 2 or tier 3 cities in India.
About 35 per cent of team members’ parents are either employed in the agriculture sector or are working as daily wage earners.
The team India includes participants from all over the country, including 6 from the North-Eastern region.
PTI