Maharashtra remain top, Assam and Bengal win big

GUWAHATI: The Assam contingent reaped a rich harvest on Bihu as their lawn bowlers helped the state double their gold medal haul to six at the Khelo India Youth Games on Wednesday. West Bengal joined Assam in stealing Maharashtra and Haryana’s thunder on Wednesday by also winning three gold medals.

The 19-year-old Surajit Burhagohain hit paydirt in lawn bowls boys under-21 singles final with a 21-10 win against Jharkhand’s Abhishek Lakra. The boys fours and girls triple teams also made the home state proud, winning with ease. In Assam’s only disappointment, the girls pair of Abhaya Bharti and Soni Kumari Gupta lost by a point to Bihar’s Khushbu Kumari and Nikhat Khatoon.

On a day when 17 gold were at stake, Maharashtra and Haryana picked up two each to stay on top of the medals tally. It was at the velodrome that Maharashtra won two gold on

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G-gold S-silver B-bronze

Wednesday, with Kolhapur’s Pooja Baban Danole winning her fourth gold in girls under-17 category and Mayur Pawar emerging the fastest under-21 rider.

Haryana under-17 rider Arab Singh won the boys individual pursuit gold while Anjali Chaudhary claimed the girls under-21 25m pistol shooting title to ensure that the gap with Maharashtra would not widen at the end of the day. They would be disappointed that Anil Manglaw was beaten by Punjab’s Naman Kapil in the boys under-21 individual pursuit cycling final.

Uttar Pradesh edged ahead of Delhi to third place after their boys under-17 volleyball team won the final against Uttarakhand. Uttar Pradesh and Delhi have 17 gold and 48 medals each and are separated by the silver medal count.

BENGAL STRIKE GOLD

Bengal struck gold through sprint cyclist Triyasha Paul, the under-21 mixed team rifle shooters Ayushi Poddar and Amartya Mukherjee as well as the girls under-17 volleyball squad. The three gold on Wednesday helped the state move up into the top-10 with seven gold.

Triyasha Paul and Odisha’s Swasti Singh joined Pooja Danole as multiple gold medallists in cycling. Kerala’s lone gold on Wednesday was won by the under-21 girls volleyball team, which overcame early nerves to find their A game and beat West Bengal in straight sets.

The Gujarat boys, who turned the tables on Tamil Nadu in the semi-finals, went on to beat Haryana in four sets while the Uttar Pradesh boys defeated Uttarakhand by a similar margin.