By Anukriti Srivastava
Dehradun, 29 Jan: The second day of the 38th National Games in Uttarakhand was packed with exciting performances across various sports. The competitions in rugby sevens, wushu, shooting, swimming, basketball, diving, and beach handball showcased intense action and impressive achievements.
In the women’s rugby sevens, Odisha triumphed over Delhi with a score of 24-5, while West Bengal delivered a strong performance, defeating Uttarakhand 36-5. In Pool B, Bihar dominated Tamil Nadu with a staggering 58-0 victory but later faced a setback against Maharashtra, losing 56-0. On the men’s side, Haryana maintained its winning momentum with a 31-12 win against Maharashtra, and Kerala edged out Uttarakhand 19-12. In Pool B, Odisha narrowly defeated Delhi 10-5, while Bihar and West Bengal played to a 12-12 draw.
The wushu events featured remarkable displays, with Konjengbam Luxmi Devi from Manipur clinching gold in the women’s Nanquan (Taolu) event. In the men’s competition, Bonish Yurembam from Manipur also took home gold, while Mayanglambam Singh from Services won the Changquan (Taolu) event. Tongbram Saya Chanu from Manipur secured the top position in the women’s Changquan (Taolu) category.
In diving, Ningthoujam Wilson Singh from Services achieved gold in the men’s HighBoard event, scoring 289.10. He was followed by Amit Dey, who earned silver, and Om Rajesh Awasthi from Maharashtra, who took home the bronze.
The swimming events were highlighted by record-breaking performances, as Dhinidhi Desinghu from Karnataka set a new national record in the women’s 200m freestyle with a time of 2:03.24, earning gold. She also won gold in the 100m butterfly and contributed to her team’s victory in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay.
In shooting, Vijayveer Sidhu led the men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol qualification with a score of 587, followed closely by Anish with 582 and Neeraj Kumar with 579, all securing their places in the final.
The basketball competition featured impressive showings from the women’s teams of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, with Tamil Nadu overpowering Chhattisgarh 125-67 and Karnataka securing a 71-59 victory over Delhi.
In men’s beach handball, Services, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh made it to the semifinals following a thrilling group stage.
The second day of the National Games highlighted remarkable talent, intense competition, and record-setting performances, paving the way for even more thrilling action in the days ahead.
