Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, June 5
Defending champions Maharashtra started their Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) campaign right with a bang by leading the medal tally with nine gold medals today. Hosts Haryana, meanwhile, climbed up to second position with six gold medals.
On Sunday, Maharashtra grabbed the top spot with a total of 17 medals (nine gold, four silver, four bronze), while Haryana grabbed 24 medals (six gold, six silver, 12 bronze). Maharashtra expectedly bagged three out of four gold medals in weightlifting and also three gold medals in yoga and one in cycling, while Haryana underlined their dominance on the wrestling mat, wherein the wrestlers gobbled up all five gold and one in cycling. Manipur shot to the third place in the medal tally by annexing four gold medals in Thang-ta. Haryana began their medal charge at the cycling velodrome in Delhi as Vrinda Yadav bagged the gold medal in the girls’ 7.5kg scratch race. The hosts were banking on making a clean sweep of gold medals on the wrestling mat and Ronit Sharma did not disappoint as he opened their account in the boys’ Greco-Roman 51-kg category as he defeated state mate Rahul. Sahil Jaglan scored a convincing 10-0 win over Robinpreet Singh of Punjab in the freestyle 92 kg. Jyoti completed the clean sweep by defeating Maharashtra’s Pragati Gaikwad by technical superiority in the girls’ 57kg weight category.
Tea vendor’s daughter proves mettle
Maharashtra’s Kajol Sargar (women’s 40kg) pocketed the first gold medal by lifting a total of 113 kg (50kg in snatch and 63 in clean and jerk). Daughter of a tea stall vendor, Kajol’s only connection with sport was her daily visit to a local gymnasium to watch her elder brother Sanket train as a weightlifter. The 16-year-old from Sangli in Maharashtra also watched in awe as he steadily rose up the ranks to become one of India’s top lifters. “My brother is over five years older than me. I never really talked sport with him before,” said Kajol, after becoming the first gold medallist in the KIYG. “It was only after learning about Rupa Hangandi’s success in the Khelo India Youth Games that I felt that I should also try weightlifting,” she said. Kajol had won a bronze medal in the Youth Nationals in August 2021 in Patiala, but a wrist injury earlier this year forced her to rework her targets for the year.
Meanwhile, her state mate Harshada Garud rewrote the Youth National record in the women’s 45kg category as she overcame a stiff challenge from Anjali Patel of Uttar Pradesh. With both lifting 80kg in clean and jerk, it all boiled down to their third and final lift. Garud lifted 83 kg in her second attempt itself to etch her name in the record books, while Anjali failed even in her third. Earlier, L Dhanush of Tamil Nadu bagged the boys’ 49kg gold medal with a new snatch record of 88 and an overall lift of 190 kg.
Tanu excels in wrestling
In the girls’ wrestling event, Haryana’s Tannu claimed 46kg gold medal by defeating Sneha. Gauri of Maharashtra and Anshika Khoker of Uttar Pradesh claimed joint third position. In the 57kg category, Haryana’s Jyoti defeated Maharashtra’s Pragati Gaikwad to settle for the gold medal. Haryana’s Anjali and Dhanashri Fand of Maharashtra claimed the third position. In the boys’ 92kg freestyle event, Sahil Jaglan (Haryana) and Robinpreet Singh (Punjab) claimed first two positions, while Delhi’s Manish and Deepak Chahal claimed joint third position. In the 60kg Greco Roman, Ankit defeated Ashish Mor to claim the gold medal, while Varun and Ravi Kumar claimed the joint third position.
In the weightlifting event, Maharashtra’s Mukund Aher won the 55kg gold medal, followed by Chera Tania of Arunachal Pradesh at the second position and Raja Bharti of Chhattisgarh at the third. In the 49kg category, L Dhanush of Tamil Nadu shot the new meet record, while D Veeresh of Andhra Pradesh and Vaibhav Swami of Uttar Pradesh claimed second and third positions, respectively. In the girls’ 45kg category, Harshada Garud of Maharashtra logged a new meet record, while Anjali Patel of Uttar Pradesh claimed second position and Vani Puri of Punjab finished third. In the girls’ 49kg, Gyaneshwari Yadav, V Rithika and V Madhumitha claimed top three positions, respectively.
‘Stay away from doping in pursuit of excellence’
Two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Sathish Sivalingam on Sunday exhorted young athletes to stay away from the scourge of doping in their pursuit of excellence. Addressing competitors in the KIYG at an anti-doping workshop, organised by the National Anti-Doping Agency, the 29-year-old shared insights from his journey as a champion weightlifter. “I am glad and grateful to my mother for educating me to be careful in not having even a cup of coffee outside since I would be responsible for everything that went into my body,” Satish said, explaining how simple mistakes could lead to disastrous results in case of contamination in food or beverage.
Results
Cycling: Boys
10-km scratch race: 1st Mahendra Saran, 2nd Adwaith Sankar, 3rd Ravi Singh
Team sprint: 1st Rajasthan, 2nd Manipur, 3rd Punjab
Girls
7.5-km scratch race: 1st Vrinda Yadav, 2nd Pooja Danole, 3rd Reet Kapoor
Team sprint: 1st Andaman & Nicobar, 2nd M’rashtra, 3rd Haryana
Yogasana: Boys
Traditional (Individual): 1st Sumit Dilip Bandale, 2nd Rajdeep Dalal, 3rd Deepanshu
Artistic (Pair): 1st Aryan Kharat, Nibodh Patil, 2nd Sayan Debnath, Avarjit Saha, 3rd Sagar Ranga, Jeetu
Rhythmic (Pair): 1st Nanak Abhang, Ansh Mayekar, 2nd Kavikumar, Abinesh Kumar B, 3rd Gourav, Parbhat Kumar
Girls
Artistic (Pair): 1st Vaidehi Mayekar, Yuganka Rajam, 2nd Shreya Bhattacharjee, Naisha Sarkar, 3rd Dharshini M, Oviyea C
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
