THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Despite intermittent rain, the second day of the State School Sports Meet went ahead largely as planned. Minister for General Education and Labour V Sivankutty, speaking at a press meet held at the Central Stadium said that even under adverse conditions, officials managed to conduct and complete the scheduled events on time.
As the second day of the week-long event concluded, Thiruvananthapuram topped the overall points table with 967 points, followed by Thrissur with 449 and Kannur with 426.
Out of a total of 96 athletic events, 10 have been completed, while 56 of the 103 aquatic events and 324 of the 535 games have concluded.
Thiruvananthapuram bagged 109 gold, 81 silver,109 bronze in total; followed by Thrissur with 48 gold, 25 silver and 57 bronze. Kannur is in the third position with 39 gold, 49 silver and 56 bronze.
Palakkad leads in athletics with 38 points while Thiruvananthapuram dominated both aquatics and games with 336 and 626 points, respectively.
Thiruvananthapuram claimed 38 gold, 33 silver, and 26 bronze medals in aquatic events. Ernakulam followed with 90 points, winning 7 gold, 11 silver, and 4 bronze, while Thrissur stood third with 72 points securing 7 gold, 6 silver, and 12 bronze.
A highlight of the day was record-breaking performances in athletics and aquatics. New records in sub junior girls and junior boys were set in athletics.
In aquatics, Pirappancode VHSS student Sreehari set a double record. Competing in the senior boys’ category, he set new records in both the 200-metre Individual Medley (IM) and freestyle events. Sreehari clocked 2:12.55 in the IM and 1:56.78 in freestyle.
Meanwhile, participation in shooting events saw a rise this year. 261 students registered and 251 competed across three disciplines; up from around 200 when the event was held in Kochi last year.
Officials attribute the growth to improved training opportunities and increasing interest among students, as more schools and academies now offer dedicated coaching. The Vattiyoorkavu range, hosting the event this year, has also upgraded its facilities, expanding from 16 lanes last year to 31,including 15 open-sight manual and 16 electronic lanes.
Despite the showers, the enthusiasm of young athletes and the smooth coordination by officials ensured that the meet stayed on course.