36th National Games: Maharashtra bag 3 gold medals in Mallakhamb, Shauryajit Khaire becomes youngest medallist of 2022 Games

36th National Games: Maharashtra bag 3 gold medals in Mallakhamb, Shauryajit Khaire becomes youngest medallist of 2022 Games

@Nat_Games_Guj

At the 36th National Games in Gujarat, Maharashtra’s Mallakhambh stars, led by the reigning queen Rupali Sunil Gangwane, swept three of the five gold medals yesterday to take their state to the second position on the medal table, ahead of Haryana.

Maharashtra, with 34 gold medals, overtook Haryana, third with 32, in the National Games medals tally.

Maharashtra also have the biggest medal haul at this edition of the National Games with a total of 126 medals, including 36 silver and 56 bronze. Services, with 53 gold medals and a total of 115, continue to lead the National Games medals table. Maharashtra’s Rupali Gangawane bagged the gold medal in the women’s rope Mallakhamb competition with 9.25 points. Maharashtra’s Akshay Prakash Taral won gold in the men’s rope competition with 8.95 points. Shubhankar Vinay Khawle scored 9.20 points in the pole competition to win Maharashtra’s third gold medal in Mallakhamb.

Later in the day, 10-year-old Shauryajit Khaire from Gujarat created history by becoming the youngest medallist of the 2022 Games with a bronze in pole Mallakhamb. Maharashtra men’s hockey team, meanwhile, lost to Uttar Pradesh in the semi-finals 3-2 at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in Rajkot. Karnataka, who beat Haryana 3-1 in the other semis, will take on Uttar Pradesh in the men’s hockey final today. In softball competition, the Maharashtra men’s and Punjab women’s teams booking their place in the respective grand finals after beating Chhattisgarh in the play-off games.

Ragasri Manogar Babu of Tamil Nadu won the soft tennis women’s singles gold with an easy win over Aadhya Tiwari of Madhya Pradesh. The men’s singles crown went to Jay Meena of Madhya Pradesh. Reigning National champion Sumit Kundu, former world championship medallist Jamuna Boro and Asian champion Sanjeet earned berths in the boxing medal rounds as the quarterfinal stage was completed this evening. Sumit beat Haryana’s Ankit Khatana in the men’s 75kg bout while Sanjeet beat Delhi’s Harsh Kaushik in the 92kg category.