Washim wrestler Ayushka wrestles first Khelo India gold as Maharashtra tops medals tally
Nagpur: Vidarbha's prodigious wrestler
, from the small village of Jaypur in Washim district, made her mark in the 7th Khelo India Youth Games, which concluded at the Gyan Bhavan Cultural Hall in Patna, Bihar, on Thursday.
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The 17-year-old Ayushka dominated the wrestling arena to clinch the gold medal in the girls' 57kg freestyle event. In the final round, Ayushka fought aggressively against Haryana's Anshul. The Washim wrestler took just one minute to prevail over her Haryana opponent. After taking a handy 6-0 lead, Ayushka pinned Anshul within a minute to emerge as the new 57kg champion.
By claiming the
, Ayushka emulated her elder siblings, Kalyani and Arjun, both previous KIYG gold medallists.
Her father and coach, Pandurang Gadekar, expressed his happiness, noting the continuation of the family's tradition in the sport. He said, "Last year Arjun won the Khelo India gold medal and now Ayushka followed her elder brother. My elder daughter Kalyani who has till now won over 17 national medals, too has won the games' medals.
Happy to see Ayushka continue the tradition. Ayushka started training when she was just three years old at our village and her progress is in the right direction."
Ayushka, who trains at the SAI wrestling centre in Mumbai, won her maiden gold medal on Khelo India debut. She was the U-15 national champion in Noida last year and later clinched the Asian championship gold in Thailand.
Much like Ayushka, Pune's Sujay Tanpure also won his first Khelo India gold medal when he defeated Sushant Vashishtha from Chandigarh 6-0 in the freestyle 71kg category. On the concluding day, the Maharashtra wrestlers won 7 medals, including Ayushka and Sujay's golds.
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Maharashtra's wrestling contingent also secured the overall runners-up position by winning a total of 18 medals.
The concluding day of the Khelo India Youth Games also saw Maharashtra lift the overall championship for the third successive year. With a total of 158 medals—58 gold, 47 silver, and 53 bronze—Maharashtra reached the pinnacle of success and also set nine competition records in various disciplines.
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