Haryana wrestlers come to party; Punjab athletes shine
COMEBACK After faltering on opening day, wrestlers from Haryana recover to win nine gold medals
PUNE: When it comes to wrestling in India, Haryana have been at the forefront. The first day of the Khelo India Youth Games on Wednesday, however, saw the northern India state faltering from its prime position here with Delhi taking the lead.
It changed on Thursday as nine Haryana wrestlers brought gold to get their campaign back on track. In the U-21 Greco-roman category, Amit (77kg) and Sushant (89kg) claimed the top place. In the U-17 girl’s category, all the seven final bouts were won by Haryana. The fiercest of those bouts was between Hanny Kumari who beat Maharashtra’s Kalyani Gadekar. The bout saw tempers rise after a decision went against Hanny.
Trailing 3-1, Hanny had Kalyani under control and was convinced she would get two points. Instead, she was given just one. This led to an argument between the Haryana coaches and judges. With 30 seconds remaining, and the scoreline 3-2 in favour of Kalyani, Hanny attacked with vigour and took a 4-3 lead. It was enough to seal a win. Other gold medallists for Haryana were: Antim (49kg), Nishu (53kg), Manju (57kg), Priyanka (61kg), Reetika (65kg), Priya (69kg).
NATARAJ WINS
Before the Games, a lot was expected from Karnataka swimmer Srihari Nataraj, who had finished sixth in 200m backstroke at the Asian Games. The teenager did not disappoint as he clinched gold in 200m freestyle. Three other Karnataka swimmers won gold. Delhi (4 medals), Maharashtra (3) and TN (3) were the other big gainers from the pool.
PUNJAB DOMINATES
Punjab and Maharashtra edged ahead in athletics with two topplace finishes each. In U-17 javelin throw, Punjab’s 2018 Youth Asian Games gold medallist Kunwer Ajai Rana finished first with a throw of 75.40m. In U-17 boys high jump, Rana’s statemate Robin Deep Singh claimed gold with an attempt of 1.98m.
Maharashtra’s Saurabh Rawat (U-17 1500m, 4:22.15 seconds) and Durga Deore (U-21 girls 1500m, 4:37.18 seconds) won gold.
Other gold medalists in athletics were Delhi’s Sahib Singh (U-21 shot put, 18.18m) and UP’S Rishabh Rishishwar (U-21 long jump, 7.72m).
Meanwhile in hockey, Odisha, UP, Haryana and Punjab registered victories in their last pool matches to secure their spots in the semi-finals of the U-17 men’s hockey competition. In Pool A, Uttar Pradesh beat Maharashtra 5-3 while Odisha beat Delhi 3-1. State Maharashtra Delhi
Haryana
Uttar Pradesh West Bengal
GGold
SG15 13 12 7 5
Silver