National Games 2023: Maharashtra defended their top start in the medal standings with eight Gold medals on Saturday, October 27. Athletes from Maharashtra pulled off impressive wins in the modern pentathlon - triathle, weightlifting and mixed gymnastics - aerobics events on Day 3 to take the team's overall medal tally to 37.
Last edition's winners Services Sports Control Board enjoyed a mixed day with three Gold medals and slipped to third place in the standings. Haryana were the biggest gainers on Saturday with seven Gold medals and jumped to second position in the medals tally standing.
Maharashtra's Harshad Wadekar bagged the Gold in the men's 96kg weightlifting category by lifting a total of 335kg. He defeated Services' Jagdish Vishakarma (Silver) and Odisha's Suresh Yadav (Bronze). Chandigarh's Gourav Gaurav claimed the victory in the 89kg category by lifting 319kg while Marush PS settled for a Silver.
Maharashtra's Rahu Nitin Pakhle and Sejal Jadhav claimed the top two spots in the women's trampoline event. Sanyukta Kale and Nishka Kale (both from Maharashtra) also recorded Gold and Silver in the women's rhythmic- apparatus hoop event. Sanyukta Kale also bagged Gold in the women's rhythmic- apparatus ball event to clinch her second apex medal in gymnastics.
Haryana's Khatri Taniksha defeated Himachal Pradesh's Dutta Hyotika in the women's fencing epee individual final to clinch her state's tenth gold in the 37th National Games in Goa.
National Games 2023 Medals Standings:
| Standings | Teams | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Totals Medals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maharashtra | 11 | 12 | 13 | 36 |
| 2 | Haryana | 10 | 3 | 6 | 19 |
| 3 | Services | 6 | 5 | 2 | 13 |
| 4 | Karnataka | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 5 | Punjab | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| 6 | Assam | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 7 | Tamil Nadu | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 8 | Madhya Pradesh | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 9 | Manipur | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| 10 | Odisha | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
