Maharashtra took its total medal count to 123 asserting its dominance yet again.
Swimming sensation Virdhawal Khade and his partner Rujuta Khade, hailing from Maharashtra, made a resounding impact at the National Games 2023 held at Campal Swimming Pool, breaking Games records and clinching gold medals in their respective events. Their exceptional performances left spectators in awe and set the stage for a memorable day of sporting achievements.
In the men’s 50m freestyle event, Virdhawal, a 2010 Asian Games bronze medalist, demonstrated his prowess by securing the gold medal with a lightning-fast time of 22.82 seconds. He faced stiff competition from Srihari Nataraj, Karnataka’s swimming sensation, who finished with the silver in 22.91 seconds. Maharashtra’s Mihir Ambre secured the bronze with a time of 22.99 seconds.
The Khade family’s joy didn’t stop there, as Rujuta Khade continued the celebrations by smashing the Games record in the women’s 50m freestyle event, winning the gold with a remarkable time of 26.42 seconds. She outshone her competitors, with Shivangi Sharma from Assam earning silver in 26.80 seconds and Janhvi Choudhary from West Bengal claiming the bronze in 26.89 seconds.
Reflecting on their achievements, Rujuta Khade shared, “It is very special for both of us. We’ve been winning this event together since 2019, but every time it feels just as special as the first time. Here today, winning the medal feels great, but setting the National Games record together makes it even more special for both of us.”
The state of Maharashtra continued to assert its dominance in the National Games, increasing its total medal tally to an impressive 123, including 52 gold, 35 silver, and 36 bronze medals. The Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) secured one more gold medal than Haryana, positioning themselves ahead of Haryana in the overall medal tally with 19 gold medals, concluding the day with 18 golds.
While the athletics competitions faced delays due to heavy rainfall, the spirit of competition remained undimmed. Jyoti Yarraji, an Asian Games medalist, anchored Andhra Pradesh to victory in the 4x100m women’s relay, outpacing Kerala and Karnataka, who claimed silver and bronze medals, respectively.
After the competition resumed, Tejaswin Shankar, representing Delhi and an Asian Games Silver medalist, triumphed in the Decathlon, setting a new National Games record with a total of 7199 points. Rohit Roman of SSCB secured the silver with 6794 points, and N. Thowfeeq of Kerala earned the bronze with 6755 points.
In the 4x100m men’s relay, Tamil Nadu clinched the gold with an impressive time of 40.05 seconds, with Odisha securing silver and Kerala taking home the bronze.
Over at the Ponda Multipurpose Indoor Stadium in Taekwondo, Maharashtra and Gujarat demonstrated their prowess by clinching two gold medals each, out of the five that were contested. The Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) secured the remaining gold.
On the football pitch at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Maharashtra battled last edition’s silver medalists Kerala to a thrilling 2-2 draw, while Manipur narrowly edged past Santhosh Trophy runners-up Meghalaya with a score of 2-1 in Pool A.
The 37th National Games continued to captivate and inspire sports enthusiasts with these remarkable achievements, showcasing the exceptional talent and dedication of athletes from across the nation.
Indian Sports Live Coverage on Khel Now
Important results from Day 5, October 31, of National Games 2023
athletics
Decathlon
Gold – Tejaswin Shankar (Delhi) – 7199 points (NGR)
Silver – Rohit Roman (SSCB) – 6794 points
Bronze – N. Thowfeeq (Kerala) – 6755 points
4 X 100 M Relay Women
Gold – Andhra Pradesh – 45.61 s
(Chelemi Pratyusha, Bhavani Yadav, L. Madhu Kavya Reddy, Jyothi Yarraji)
Silver – Kerala – 46.02 s
(V. Neha, Remaya Rajan, PD Anjali, AP Shilbi)
Bronze – Karnataka – 46.22 s
(Medha Kamath, C. Anjali, T. Daneshwari, SS Sneha)
4 X 100 M Relay Men
Gold – Tamil Nadu – 40.05 s
(S. Tamil Arasu, R. Sai Siddharth, VK Elakkiyadasan, Kathiravan)
Silver – Odisha – 40.13 s
(Mruty Dondapati, Aryan Ekka, Lalu Prasad Bhoi, Amiya Kumar Mallick)
Bronze – Kerala – 40.14 s
(DB Bibin, Muhammed Shan, CV Anurag, T. Midhun)
Javelin Throw
Gold – Shilpa Rani (Haryana) – 54.82 m
Silver – Priyanka Singh (Haryana) – 53.75 m
Bronze – Rashmi K.Shetty (Andhra Pradesh) – 52.55 m
swimming
50m Freestyle Men
Gold – Virdhawal Khade (Maharashtra) – 22.82 s (NGR)
Silver – Srihari Nataraj (Karnataka) – 22.91 s
Bronze – Mihir Ambre (Maharashtra) – 22.99 s
50m Freestyle Women
Gold – Rujuta Khade (Maharashtra) – 26.42 s (NGR)
Silver – Shivangi Sharma (Assam) – 26.80 s
Bronze – Janhvi Choudhary (West Bengal) – 26.89 s
400m Medley Men
Gold – Shoan Ganguly (Karnataka) – 4:28.09 s (NGR)
Silver – Advait Page (Madhya Pradesh) – 4:28.20
Bronze – Sajan Prakash (Kerala) – 4:32.18 s
200m Backstroke Men
Gold – Nithik Nathella (Tamil Nadu) – 2:03.32 s (NGR)
Silver – Rishabh Das (Maharashtra) – 2:04.80 s
Bronze – Advait Page (Madhya Pradesh) – 1:05.79 s
200m Backstroke Women
Gold – Palak Joshi (Maharashtra) – 2:22.12 s
Silver – Soubrity Mondal (West Bengal) – 2:22.39 s
Bronze – Karnataka – Sanjana Prabhugaonker (Goa) – 2:23.64 s
400m Medley Women
Gold – S. Lakshya (Karnataka) – 5:12.27 s
Silver – Hashika Ramachandra (Karnataka) -5:13.42 s
Bronze – Shrungi Bandekar (Goa) – 5:13.69 s
Taekwondo
Men’s Individual Poomsae
Gold – Laishram Dingku Singh (SSCB) – 6.83 points
Silver – Lalthlamuanpuia (Mizoram) – 6.68 points
Bronze – Miching Taja (Arunachal Pradesh) – 6.56 points
Vansh Prem Singh Thakur (Maharashtra) – 6.55 points
Women’s Individual Poomsae
Gold – Mrunali S. Harnekar (Maharashtra) – 6.81 points
Silver – Laya Fathima CK (Kerala) – 6.66 points
Bronze – Rikpy Nyodu (Arunachal Pradesh) – 6.58 points,
Umelly Mangshatabam (Manipur) – 6.34 points
Women’s Under 46 Kg
Gold – Twisha Kakadiya (Gujarat)
Silver – Sakshi Patil (Maharashtra)
Bronze – Parsida NC (Kerala)
Naoroibam Jina Devi (Manipur)
Men’s Under 54 Kg
Gold – Abhijeet Khopade (Maharashtra)
Silver – Nirman Rupam Kashyap (Assam)
Bronze – Om Lal Sah (Uttarakhand)
Vikash (Haryana)
Men’s Under 87 Kg
Gold – Jay Nilesh Kimayagar (Gujarat)
Silver – Manjeet Singh (Rajasthan)
Bronze – Sudhir Chauhan (Nagaland)
Pramod Joshi(SSCB)
Hockey
Women
Pool A: Manipur bt Tamil Nadu – 4-0
Pool B: Punjab bt Karnataka – 4-1, Maharashtra bt Goa – 2-1
Men
Pool A: Haryana drew Odisha – 3-3
Pool B: Jharkhand drew Uttar Pradesh – 4-4, Tamil Nadu bt Goa – 6-3
Women’s Football
Pool A: West Bengal bt Jharkhand – 3-2, Manipur bt Tamil Nadu – 2-0
Men’s Football
Pool A: Kerala drew Maharashtra – 2-2, Manipur bt Meghalaya – 2-1
Men’s Beach Football
Semi-Finals: Kerala bt Punjab – 11-3, Goa bt Lakshadweep – 7-5
Tennis
Women’s Team Semi-Finals
Gujarat bt Telangana – 2-0
Maharashtra bt Tamil Nadu – 2-0
Men’s Team Semi-Finals
Karnataka bt Uttar Pradesh – 2-1
water polo
Group Stage Matches
Women
Maharashtra bt Assam – 25-1
Karnataka bt Manipur – 20-6
Men
Maharashtra bt Manipur – 28-3
Kerala bt Karnataka – 18-1
diving
Platform Men
Gold – Ningthoujam Willson Singh (SSCB)
Silver – Sourav Debnath (SSCB)
Bronze – Tushar Gitaye (Maharashtra)
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