KIYG 2023: Weightlifter Keerthana Sets New National Youth Records; Maharashtra Crosses 50-gold Mark

Khelo India Youth Games: Tamil Nadu weightlifter R. P Keerthana broke the National Youth record in Snatch, Clean & Jerk and overall to clinch the gold in girls' 81kg category while table-toppers Maharashtra touched the half-century mark in gold medals in the 6th Khelo India Youth Games 2023 here on Tuesday.

Keerthana lifted a total of 188 kgs, including 85kg in snatch and 106kg in Clean & Jerk to finish ahead of state-mate Oviya K. (184kg) with Uttar Pradesh’s Santushti Choudhary taking home the bronze with a total lift of 162kg. The earlier record in Snatch (81kg), Clean & Jerk (104kg) and overall (185kg) were held by Ch. Srilakshmi of Andhra Pradesh.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra added six gold medals to their tally in the morning session, bagging three in archery, two in Kho-kho and the girls' doubles title in badminton.

World champion and 2022 Asian Games bronze medallist Aditi Gopichand Swami led the Maharashtra charge at the archery venue in Nehru Park, winning the compound girls and mixed team gold medals while Pruthviraj Ghadge and Sharvani Shende won the recurve mixed team final. Shende also won the silver medal in the girls' recurve category while Tejal Salve won the silver medal in compound girls and Mihir Apar took home the bronze from the boys' compound event.

In Madurai, the Maharashtra Kho-kho team lived up to their favourite tag to clinch both the gold medals. The boys defeated Delhi 40-10 while the girls got the better of Odisha 33-24.

Taarini Suri and Shravani Walekar then took Maharashtra to 50 gold medals when they defeated Odisha’s Pragati Parida and Vishakha Toppo 21-13, 20-22, 21-16 in the girls doubles final at the TNPESU badminton hall.

In shooting, Telangana’s Yuvek Battula and Venkat Lakku bagged the mixed team gold with Madhya Pradesh’s Vanshika Tiwari and Udyaman Rathore bagging the silver and Punjab’s Zorawar Bedi and Risham Guron taking home the bronze.