Registering a rich haul on the final day, Kerala regained the overall title as the 24th South Zone Junior Athletics Championship at the Maharaja’s College Stadium here on Wednesday. Kerala athletes bagged 16 gold medals on the final day while the runners-up, Tamil Nadu, could manage only six, tilting the scales in the hosts’ favour.
The champions finished with 883.5 points with 52 gold, 46 silver and 37 bronze medals to dethrone Tamil Nadu, who had ended Kerala’s reign last year. TN secured 796 points accrued mostly from 41 gold, 42 silver and 36 bronze medals. Karnataka (493.5 points) ended third with a tally of 19:18:29.
Four new meet records were also set on the concluding day, taking the total number of records in the three-day meet to 14.
Promising Kerala pole-vaulter Ebin Sunny stole the show clearing 4.55 metres in the U-18 boys event to improve the existing meet record by 35 cm. He also bettered his personal best by 25 cm. It was a big effort from the boy who had managed just 4.05 metres in the state inter-club meet a few months ago.
Augustine Yesudas of TN clinched a double in the U-18 boys sprints after adding the 200m gold (22.07 secs) to the shorter sprint he had won the other day. He had the extra joy of having broken the meet record as well.
The other record setters were Oliviya Ann Maria Thomas of Kerala in the U-16 girls 1000m (2:59.51 secs) and M Mahalakshmi of Tamil Nadu in the U-18 girls discus throw (with a throw of 38.52 metres). Among girls, Kerala’s Rengitha C won the sprint double after winning the 200m in 25.56 secs. Karnataka’s Bebi Sumaya also clinched the sprint double in the U-20 girls section.