National Games 2023: Maharashtra tops medal tally ahead of Haryana and Services

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Riding on the back of remarkable achievements in Modern Pentathlon and Mallakhamb, Maharashtra has surged ahead in the medal tally at the 37th National Games, establishing a lead of over ten gold medals in comparison to their competitors, Haryana and the reigning champions, Services Sports Control Board (SSCB).

In the basketball competition at the Manohar Parrikar Indoor Stadium, Navelim, Kerala's women successfully defended their title, defeating Karnataka with a score of 57-54 to clinch the gold.

In the men's category, Punjab emerged victorious by edging past defending champions Tamil Nadu with a score of 105-103 in overtime. Punjab had previously lost to Tamil Nadu in the finals of the last edition of the games.

The women's finals saw R. Sreekala as the top scorer for Kerala with 29 points, while Sanjana Ramesh led Karnataka with 21 points in this closely contested match. Tamil Nadu secured the bronze by defeating Uttar Pradesh with a score of 92-65.

The men's finals witnessed an exceptional performance by Indian international Amjyot Singh, who scored a whopping 42 points to lead Punjab to victory over Tamil Nadu. B. Soorya top-scored for Tamil Nadu with 28 points. Delhi clinched the bronze medal by beating Services with a score of 93-56, fueled by outstanding performances from Indian team Captain Vishesh Bhriguvanshi and Joginder Singh.

In gymnastics at the Peddem Multipurpose Indoor Stadium, Odisha's Pranati Nayak achieved her fourth gold medal in the Women's Artistic Balancing Beam category with a score of 11.733 points. Pranati Das of West Bengal secured the silver, her fourth medal in the games, while Mallika Kulshreshtha of Delhi claimed the bronze.

In Rhythmic Gymnastics, Haryana's Life Adlakha secured the gold medal in the Ribbon category with 23.70 points, preventing Maharashtra's Sanyukta Kale from achieving a complete sweep. Sanyukta Kale secured the silver, and Richa Chordia won the bronze.

Over at the Campal Sports Village, Maharashtra dominated Mallakhamb, securing all six gold medals in different categories. Rupali Gangawane notably clinched two gold medals in the women's rope and pole categories.

In the weightlifting events, N. Lalitha of Andra Pradesh lifted a total of 211 kg to win the Women's 81 Kg gold. Vanshitha Verma Chandigarh secured the silver with a total lift of 208 kg, while Rakhi Purohit of Rajasthan secured the bronze with an aggregate lift of 207 kg.

In the Men's 102 Kg category, Kojum Tara of SSCB secured the gold with a total lift of 330 kg, narrowly surpassing Goa's Shubham Verma, who lifted 326 kg. In the Women's 87 Kg category, Maharashtra's Komal Wakale won the gold with a total lift of 205 kg. Karnataka's B.N. Usha secured the silver with a lift of 203 kg, and Rakhi of Haryana won the bronze with a lift of 196 kg.

Maharashtra continued their impressive streak in Modern Pentathlon, securing all five gold medals in the Biathle event held at Ponda Indoor Swimming Complex. Parth Mirage and Mansi Vinod Mohite clinched three gold medals each in the individual and team events.

In Fencing at the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, SSCB won the gold medal in the Men's Sabre Team event by defeating Maharashtra in the finals. Punjab and Rajasthan secured the bronze medals.

In the Women's Foil Individual event, Tamil Nadu's Ashitha S. Joy emerged victorious by beating V.P. Kanagalakshmi of Kerala in the final to win the gold. Waikhom Sonia Devi of Manipur and Isha of Haryana won the bronze medals.