Army dominates in National Games, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh get first gold
The Army moved closer to winning the Raja Bhalendra Singh Trophy as the champions for the fourth time in a row at the National Games by clinching three gold medals here on Tuesday. Wednesday is the last day of these games. Maharashtra and Haryana are competing for the second spot, while Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are also trying to cement their claim for the top spots in the medal tally. In the midst of this medal race, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh got their first gold medalists after becoming a union territory.
For Jammu and Kashmir, Abhishek Jamwal won the yellow title in Wushu, while Owais Sarwar Ahengar won the title for Ladakh. The Army on Tuesday bagged three gold medals, taking its total medal tally to 120. It has 56 gold, 34 silver and 30 bronze medals. Maharashtra on Tuesday dominated the softball men’s title and Yogasan Artistic Group medals to take a four-gold lead over Haryana in the race for second place. Ravi Panchal and women’s hockey team won gold medals in Wushu for Haryana.
Haryana beat Punjab 1-0 in the women’s hockey final with a goal from veteran Rani Rampal. Karnataka won the men’s gold medal in hockey. The final played between Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh ended in a 2-2 draw in regular time. The match resulted in a penalty shootout. Host Gujarat registered its best ever performance in the National Games by winning 47 medals (13 Gold, 15 Silver and 19 Bronze).
In the triathlon mixed relay for the hosts, teenage player Krishiv Hitesh Patel displayed bravery by completing the cycling and running portions despite a fracture in the toe to win the silver medal. In the men’s final in football, West Bengal beat Kerala 5-0. Maharashtra won the men’s softball gold. After defeating Andhra Pradesh 3-0 in the semi-finals, the team defeated Chhattisgarh 1-0 in the final.
Punjab went on to win the women’s softball event. The team defeated Kerala 6-2 in the final. Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist boxer Lovlina Borgohain and Commonwealth Games medalists Mohammed Hussamuddin and Jasmine Lamboria advanced to the finals of their weight categories. Apart from this, heavyweight boxers Sanjeet of Army, Simranjit Kaur and Mandeep Kaur of Punjab, National Championship silver medalists Ankit Sharma and Meenakshi of Haryana also made it to the finals.
