Grapplers shine to hand Haryana Khelo India Youth Games overall title

Haryana wrestlers clinched four out five gold medals on offer to wrest back their state's lead on the final day of the Khelo India Youth Games here on Wednesday. The hosts collected two more yellow metals in track and field events to take their overall tally to 30 gold, 23 silver and 33 bronze medals and surge past Maharashtra (26G, 25S, 22B), who could only manage a solitary gold on the concluding day. Elsewhere, in the swimming competition in Ambala, Karnataka began with a splash, creating three new marks while winning four gold.

That took their gold tally to six, following two in track and field. On the wrestling mat, promising Antim, who was seconds away from beating 2018 Asian Games gold medallist Vinesh Phogat during the Commonwealth Games trials, dominated the girls 53kg category to clinch her second Khelo India yellow metal in three years. The Hisar girl proved too strong for her opponents, winning three bouts by technical superiority and one by fall.

In the final, she did face resistance from a determined Kalyani Gadekar of Maharashtra but emerged winner riding on her tactical acumen. The other three gold for Haryana were bagged by Pulkit (girls 65kg), Sahil (boys greco roman 92kg) and Sagar Jaglan (boys freestyle 80 kg), taking their wrestling tally to 16 gold, 10 silver and nine bronze medals. Maharashtra were a distant second with three gold, with Vaibhav Patil adding the boys freestyle 55kg crown to his state's tally.

Madhya Pradesh and Chandigarh wrestlers won one gold each. In the day's other events, Haryana weightlifter Jyoti Yadav clinched the gold medal in the girl's 76kg with a total lift of 178kg. Assam's Suditya Baruah (boys 89kg) and Punjab's Dilbag Singh (boys 96kg) bagged the other gold medals on