THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Leading the points table with 668 points, defending champions Thiruvananthapuram sets the pace as the 67th State School Sports Meet got underway across 12 venues in the capital. The first day of the Olympics-model event saw young athletes giving energetic performances in athletics, aquatics, and games. Kannur follows with 388 points, while Kozhikode stands third with 324.
With a smooth start to the week-long event, the stage is set for 513 competitions, including 20 inclusive events. Though occasional rains disrupted some events, competitions resumed with the help of efficient on-ground coordination.
Thiruvananthapuram bagged 78 gold, 57 silver, 79 bronze on the first day while Kannur got 38 gold, 45 silver and 46 bronze medals. At third position, Kozhikode secured 30 gold, 38 silver and 45 bronze medals. Just one point away from Kozhikode is Thrissur, with with 34 gold, 18 silver and 42 bronze medals, with Ernakulam, Palakkad, Malappuram following behind.
Specially-abled athletes put up confident performances across categories as inclusive events, held at five stadiums, concluded on Wednesday. The first day of the sports meet saw a new state record in swimming as Ajith Yadav from Sports Authority of India (SAI), Thrissur, completed the 50m butterfly sub-junior event in 27.99 seconds, breaking the previous record of 30 seconds held by Nikhil A R of SAI, Thiruvananthapuram.
P J Johan Julian of Kalamassery Rajagiri HS broke the previous record as well, by completing the event in 28.89 seconds.
Addressing the media in the evening, General Education Minister V Sivankutty said that this year’s edition places special emphasis on digital coordination, green protocol, and athlete welfare. A mobile app developed with IT department support helped complete the athlete verification and data updates.
