Maharashtra claim five gold in Khelo India

GUWAHATI:DEFENDING champions Maharashtra continued to rule the Khelo India Youth Games, adding five more gold to their tally, led by their weightlifters, on Thursday. Second-placed Haryana kept snapping at Maharashtra’s heels, picking up five gold medals, including two at the shooting range.

Maharashtra have a clear lead in terms of total medals (125) but their 33 gold may not be unmatchable, especially as the Games enter the last leg in which Haryana usually come into their own.

Haryana have 28 gold at the moment and will hope to reclaim the mantle of champions that they had lost last year.

Delhi could not muster any gold on the day, allowing Uttar Pradesh to claim sole possession of the third place with 18 gold. They are now fourth on the table, with 17 gold, while Kerala took the next place with 13.

Maharashtra picked up three of the four gold medals on offer at the Bhogeswari Phukanani Indoor Stadium in Dispur. With total lifts of 134kg Haryana’s Komal Kohar took the girls’ under-21 45kg class title, a division that didn’t have any lifter from Maharashtra.

Mumbai’s Soumya Dalvi defended her girls’ under-17 40kg class weightlifting gold after enduring a brief doubt. Her teammate from Sangli, Aarati Tatgunti, challenged her to lift at least 66kg on her last clean and jerk attempt to win gold which she easily did.

The cycling competition, held for the first time in three editions of Khelo India Games, saw Maharashtra blaze a trail of glory with 20 medals, nine of them gold medals. Manipur and Karnataka were the other teams with double-digit medals.

Haryana’s 13-year-old Shiva

Narwal, who finished claimed the Sub-juniors gold and the third place in the Juniors at the National Championships in Bhopal last month, was their top star as he won the Boys Under-17 10m air pistol gold.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ cyclists Celestina and David Beckham completed their respective individual double crowns. They took home eight medals, including five gold. Cycling is the only sport from which the athletesfrom the Island won medals, but Andaman & Nicobar are placed higher than states like Uttarakhand, Odisha and Jharkhand.