Even as the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) retained Raja Bhalindra Singh Trophy for the fourth time in succession, Maharashtra pipped Haryana by a lone gold to finish second in the medal tally. The two states were going neck and neck till the final day of the 2022 National Games in Gujarat with boxer Nikhil Dubey's 75kg gold proving to be the game changer. It was an emotional win for Dubey as his Mumbai-based coach Dhananjay Tiwary died in a road accident on Tuesday while on his way to Gandhinagar to watch his ward in action in the semifinal.
With eight boxers in finals, Haryana were hoping for a rich haul of gold on the concluding day at the Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar but only four of them could emerge winners levelling them with Maharashtra in the medal tally. Nikhil then realised his late coach’s dreams by pocketing the yellow metal with a 5-0 victory over lesser-known Malsawmtluanga of Mizoram in the men’s middleweight final to put Maharashtra ahead.
Meanwhile, Services won five boxing finals to end their campaign with 61 gold, 35 silver and 32 bronze. Maharashtra bagged 39 gold, 38 silver and 63 bronze while Haryana pocketed 38 gold, 38 silver, 39 bronze as they finished second and third, respectively.
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala took the fourth, fifth and sixth places, respectively while Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Manipur finished with a creditable 20 gold, each. Hosts Gujarat also registered their best ever performance in the history of National Games, bagging 13 gold, 15 silver and 21 bronze medals for a total of 49. The hosts finished 12th in the overall standings.
The closing ceremony was held at the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Indoor Stadium in Surat on Wednesday with Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar giving away the coveted Raja Bhalindra Singh Trophy to Services Sports Control Board (SSCB).
Speaking on the occasion, Dhankhar said there was a certain energy that one immediately feels when they visit Gujarat. “Several records were broken in the National Games. But no hearts have been broken,” he said, referring to the power of sport in national building. The Vice President also expressed confidence that the country would soon host the Olympics.
Indian Olympic Association secretary Rajiv Mehta said that Gujarat has set a new standard by organising the National Games in just 90 days. “This should be an example to states who will be organizing it in the future,” he said, adding Goa will have big shoes to fill when they host the Games in 2023.
During the function, the National Games flag was handed over to a delegation, led by Sports Minister Govind Gaude, from Goa.
As many as 38 National Games records crumbled in track and field at the IIT Gandhinagar and 36 in aquatics in Rajkot. Tamil Nadu’s Rosy Meena Paulraj (women’s pole vault) and N Ajith (weightlifting men's 73kg clean & jerk), Services’ Siva Subramaniam (men’s pole vault), UP’s Ram Baboo (men's 35km race walk) and Arunachal Pradesh’s Sambo Lapung (weightlifting men's 96kg Clean & jerk) were among the few to shatter national records too.
Sajan, Hashika win Best Athlete Awards
Gold-minting swimmers Sajan Prakash (Kerala) and Hashika Ramachandra (Karnataka) were crowned the Best Male Athlete and Best Female Athlete, respectively on Wednesday. The 29-year-old Sajan won eight medals, with five individual gold, two silver and a bronze, to pip Srihari Nataraj, who also claimed eight medals in all, with six gold, including two in relays. It is the second straight time that Sajan has bagged the coveted trophy after his success in the 2015 National Games in Kerala.
Hashika, just 14 years of age, won six gold in her collection of seven medals on her debut. She became the first Karnataka athlete in 23 years to bag this coveted trophy. Nisha Millet was the last winner from Karnataka, having swept medals in the 1999 National Games in Imphal. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel presented the Best Male Athlete to Sajan. Hashika received her reward from Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla.