Guwahati, Jan 21:
The unstoppable Shivangi Sarma stamped her signature on the Khelo India Youth Games 2020 here with a fifth freestyle swimming gold medal today to emerge the most successful individual athlete. Kenisha Gupta was just as successful, who won her third gold to add to the two relay crowns that she anchored Maharashtra’s teams to victory. Shivangi owned the pool, adding the 50m freestyle titles in a time of 27.43 seconds to the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle gold medals that she won over the last three days.
Her decision to compete for Assam in this edition of the Games helped the hosts rise to the sixth place on the medals table, ahead of formidable teams from Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
There was no difference in the top five, with Maharashtra holding a handsome lead over Haryana both in terms of gold and total medals won. Maharashtra’s 74 gold, 68 silver and 92 bronze gave the State a total of 234 medals, well past the 228 that their athletes won at home in Pune last year. Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka are placed above Assam. Kenisha Gupta, a long-limbed 16-year-old Mumbaikar, held her own by winning the Under-17 50m race in a faster time despite a visibly slower start. She could claim bragging rights by clocking a faster time than the senior girl but the modest swimmer kept a low-profile despite winning five gold medals herself, letting Shivangi Sarma bask in the limelight. Karnataka swimmer Srihari Nataraj’s loss to Mihir Ambre in the 50m freestyle final meant that he went out of the reckoning to garner five gold medals. Karnataka and Maharashtra swimmers will resume their own battle in the Dr. Zakir Hussain Aquatics Complex on the final day on Wednesday, with both teams having won 17 gold each. (UNI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel