Chennai, Jan 25 2024-
Haryana’s Deepika and middle-distance runner Paras Singhal set two new meet records in girls’ javelin throw and boys’ 2000m steeplechase category on a day the race for the top three spots in the medal tally heated up in the 6th Khelo India Youth Games 2023.
Deepika completed a hat-trick of Khelo India Youth Games gold medals when she threw the javelin at a distance of 56.79m in her third attempt at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Chennai on Thursday.
After winning a silver medal on her debut Khelo India event in Guwahati, the 18-year-old first broke the record in Panchkula with 51.37m distance and then improved it to 55.19m in Bhopal last year.
Singhal then led a bunch of four runners who bettered the 2000m steeplechase meet record of 6:01.11 sec set by Ajit Kumar in Bhopal last year. The Haryana athlete stopped the clock at 5:53.74 sec to clinch the gold medal while Rajasthan’s Mohit Yadav (5:54.14 sec) and Sahilkumar Vadhiya (5:57.40) of Gujarat took home the silver and bronze.
With just six days of competition left in the Khelo India Youth Games 2023, Tamil Nadu made it a three-horse race to the top by clinching eight of the 17 gold medals on offer on Thursday.
The hosts claimed six gold medals in track and field and also completed a double basketball in Coimbatore to jump to second spot with 23 gold, 12 silver and 23 bronze.
Haryana, who also won the 10m Air Pistol gold medal apart from the two from athletics, slipped to third with a tally of 21 gold, 12 silver and 29 bronze. Defending champions Maharashtra could bag only one gold medal through steeplechaser Anjali Madavi but continue to hold the top spot with 26 gold, 23 silver and 29 bronze medals.
Earlier in the morning session, Karnataka’s Anusha Thokur and West Bengal’s Adriyan Karmakar comfortably clinched the girls’ and boys’ 50m Rifle 3-position gold medals while Haryana’s Suruchi clinched the 10m Air Pistol gold medal on the last shot after her state-mate Lakshita faltered under pressure.
In Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu basketball teams completed the double by winning both the girls’ and boys’ finals. In the girls final, the hosts defeated Punjab 70-66 before the boys got the better of Rajasthan 86-85. (Agency)
