National Games: MP karatekas win 3 golds; swimmers set record

Tapan Mohanta

Ranchi/Jamshedpur, Feb 13 (PTI) A triple gold performanceby Madhya Pradesh karatekas helped the state take the day onehonours in the competition, even as Indian swimming sensationVirdhawal Khade and dope-tainted Richa Mishra set two meetrecords each in the 34th National Games today.

Madhya Pradesh also bagged two silver and one bronze inkarate-do competition held at Shiekh Bhikhari AdministrativeBlock at the Mega Sports Complex in Ranchi as they led thestandings.

Riding on Khade''s performance at the Veer Budhu BhagatAquatic Stadium in the Mega Sports Complex, Maharashtra weresecond on the table with three gold and eight bronze.

Jharkhand were not far behind as the hosts finished theday on third spot with two gold medals in taekwondocompetition held at Ganpat Rai Indoor Stadium in the MegaSports Complex. The hosts also had two silver and two bronzeto be on the third spot of the table.

Even as the mismanagement by the organisers continued torule the roost in the 33-discipline meet, Khade and Richaprovided the big push with two meet records each in theswimming competition.

The competition also saw a fifth record when Karnatakamen''s 100m freestyle team of Arjun J P, Gagan A P, AdityaRoshan and Ashwin Menon scripted their names in Games history.

It was also a memorable day for Delhi girl Richa, who wasmired in doping controversy ahead of the Commonwealth Gameslast year, shattering two meet records en route to her doublegold.

With shouts of ''Come on Viru, Come on Viru'' at a packedVeer Budhu Bhagat Aquatic Stadium in the Mega Sports Complex,the Indian swimming sensation opened his account in the 200mfreestyle with a Games record timing of 1.53:91s.

The Kolhapur lad had a comfortable two seconds lead overhis nearest opponent Rohit Havaldar of Karnataka as he went onto better his previous Games best timing of 01.54:18s.

Havaldar (1.56:16s) and Gagan A P (1.56:93s) finishedsecond and third respectively to give a silver-bronze finishfor Karnataka.

In his second event of the day, Khade eclipsed theprevious Games best timing of 00.57:38 by Akbar Ali Mir (2002)in the 100m butterfly for his second gold with a meet recordof 55:56.

Khade had more than two seconds lead over Delhi''s TarunTokas (58:21) who settled for silver, while Bengal openedtheir account with a bronze courtesy Sumanta Nath (59.62).

The 19-year-old then give the much needed boost to theMaharashtra relay team as he powered them for a bronze medalfinish in the 4x100m freestyle with a timing of 03.44:30.

(More) PTI TAP PVR BS SHN