Hyderabad, Dec 14: The strong Karnataka swimmers predictably stamped their superiority clinching three of the five gold medals on offer even as four records fell by the wayside in the 32nd National Games here today. Although the Karnataka swimmers ruled the roost on the opening day of the swimming competitions, Deepak Kumar of Andhra Pradesh stole the limelight with two yellow metals as the hosts continued their gold grabbing act in the early stages of the sporting extravaganza.
The talented Shikha Tandon set a new record in the women's 200 m freestyle event while Deepak Kumar also established a new record in the men's 100 m breastroke on an otherwise low-key day at the games. The young Reshmi Das of Andhra Pradesh also brought the spotlight on her by creating a new games record in the high board diving event while Punjab had a satisfying day at the velodrome by setting a new record in the team time trial cycling event.
The strong Manipur team picked up the other gold in cycling finishing first in the women's team time trial. In the port city of Vishakhapatnam, Sandhyarani Devi brought more cheers for Karnataka by claiming the coveted gold medal in the women's upto 48 kg weightlifting event, lifting a total of 180.5 kg.
Bureau Report