Khelo India Youth Games 2022 medal tally update: Maharashtra back in lead with 24 gold medals, Haryana second with 23

Maharashtra's Sanyukta Kale made a clean sweep of all five gold medals on offer in rhythmic gymnastics to propel Maharashtra to the top of the medals table in the ongoing Khelo India Youth Games in Panchkula on Tuesday.

Sixteen-year-old Sanyukta’s clean sweep helped Maharashtra (24 gold, 22 silver, 17 bronze) move past Haryana (23 gold, 20 silver, 29 bronze). Manipur held on to the third spot with 12 gold medals.

Twenty-four states won at least one gold medal while 30 states found a spot in the medals tally at the ongoing Khelo India Youth Games.

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Andhra Pradesh picked up two gold medals and one bronze to end the proceedings on Tuesday. Kunja Rajitha won the girls’ 400m race in 56.07s while S Pallavi won the gold medal in the girls' weightlifting 64 kg category to bring some cheer to the Andhra Pradesh camp.

Mugada Sireesha followed Rajitha to take the bronze in the 400m. Telangana’s D Ganesh won the bronze in the weightlifting boys 89 kg category

Andaman and Nicobar’s Celestina Chelobroy too jumped into the spotlight, clinching her third cycling gold at the Khelo India Youth Games.

Haryana added only six golds on the fifth day of the Khelo India Youth Games as their boys went down fighting in the kabaddi and volleyball finals.

Sanyukta targets Olympics after Khelo India exploits

Maharashtra's Sanyukta towered over the rhythmic gymnastics field at the Khelo India Youth Games, winning gold in hoops, balls, clubs, ribbon, and all-around events.

The young Maharashtra athlete stated that her goal is to qualify for the upcoming Paris Olympics in 2024. She told ANI:

“Yes, the CommonWealth Games first, then the Asian Championship, the World Championships and ultimately the Paris Olympics."

Sadanand Kumar of Jharkhand was crowned the fastest male athlete at the Khelo India Youth Games meet. He won the 100m event in 10.63s while Maharashtra’s Sudeshna Shivankar dominated the girls' 100m event, clocking 11.79s.

Haryana’s rising badminton star Unnati Hooda returned from the brink to win the girls' singles title while the kabaddi boys lost a nerve-wracking final. Himachal Pradesh beat Haryana in extra time after the teams were tied at 34 points each at the end of regulation time.

In the last raid in extra time, the Himachal players then kept their cool to catch all five Haryana raiders while one of their own scored a bonus point to seal the victory.

Maharashtra’s Darshan Pujari clinched the badminton boys' singles gold, beating S Rithvik Sanjeevi of Tamil Nadu 21-15, 22-20 to lift the spirits in their camp.

Madhya Pradesh’s Arjun Waskale bagged the first gold on the track by winning the boys' 1,500m race (3:51.57s). Meanwhile, Manipur’s Huidrom Bhumeshwory Devi showcased her sprinting ability on the last lap to win the girls' event with a time of 4:40.40s.