Khelo India Youth Games Day 6: Odisha Kho-Kho girls steal spotlight; Aditi Hegde completes seven-medal haul
Odisha's well-planned and well-executed victory over fancied Maharashtra in the Kho-Kho girls final at the BIPARD Sports Complex in Gaya was the talking point of the Khelo India Youth Games 2025 Bihar's sixth day on Friday. With its boys team winning silver, Odisha made its appearance on the medal table.
The Nashik-based swimmer Aditi Satish Hegde, a Khelo India Athlete, enhanced her collection of medals from five last time to seven now to steal everyone else's thunder. She has raised the bar high with her show in the BIPAR Swimming Pool in Gaya and could well end up being the most successful athlete in the Games.
Aditi won a bronze in the 1500m Freestyle on Friday despite not being at her best to add to the five gold, including two in relays and a bronze won over the past few weeks. She had won five medals the Khelo India Youth Games in Chennai last year and came to Gaya with a resolve to showcase improvement.
ALSO READ | Khelo India Youth Games Day 5: Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir clinch their first gold medals of edition
If it was the Jammu and Kashmir boys volleyball team that took the breath away of the sports fans in the Patliputra Sports Complex late on Thursday, it was the turn of the Odisha girls Kho-Kho team to train the spotlight on itself by making light of a deficit at the break to secure a memorable victory.
The 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team combine of Rudra Pratap and Divya Shree ensured host Bihar's medal tally increased to 14. The duo showed poise and calm under pressure to beat an Uttar Pradesh pair for a bronze at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Ranges in New Delhi.
The KIYG 2025 host had a heartbreak on Friday when Bihar girls lost the sepaktakraw Regu final to Manipur. Bihar now has a gold, five silver and eight bronze medals. With a couple of rugby finals left to be contested on Friday, Bihar can expect to make further progress on the medal tally.
Despite that Kho-Kho reverse in the morning, Maharashtra continued its relentless quest to stay on top of the medal table. With a title win for the Kho-Kho boys team and the air rifle shooting mixed team and three athletes on the final day of swimming competition at the BIPARD Complex, its haul rose to 23 gold.
The twin gold medals won by Rujula S (50m Freestyle) and the boys 4x100m Freestyle Relay quartet enabled Karnataka to edge ahead of Rajasthan on the charts with 12 gold, 20 silver and six bronze medals at the time of writing. Madhya Pradesh and Haryana complete the top five on the table of honours.
On the last day of the swimming competitions which ended in a blaze of glory for Karnataka, Haryana's Arjun Singh not only emerged the fastest swimmer of the meet with a victory in 23.91 seconds but also claimed his second sprint gold. He had won the 50m Backstroke gold earlier in the week.
Related Topics
Khelo India Youth Games
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
2 hours ago
- India.com
Meet this bowler who bowls at 150 kmph, started his career as runner, his name is...
Vellore-born R D Pranav Raghavendra is making a lot of headlines in the Indian cricket circles these days. At just 17 years of age, the right-arm pacer has already made a name for himself with his sheer pace and discipline. During a recent training session, he bowled at a speed of 147.3 kmph, which shows his tremendous speed. Seeing such a fast pace from a young player has created excitement among both coaches and fans. Interestingly, Pranav was not always on the cricketing path. He started out as a sprinter in his childhood and excelled in the 100-meter race. The shift to cricket came when a doctor advised his parents to enroll him in a team sport after he became socially withdrawn after the birth of his younger sibling. That small suggestion changed his future. Once he stepped on the cricket field, Pranav became obsessed with speed and dedicated himself to becoming a true fast bowler. However, he is not just focusing on speed. He knows that consistency, control and fitness are equally important. Pranav said, "I love speed and I want to bowl fast. It always feels great when you scare batsmen with bouncers and hit the ball hard on their gloves. To continue this, I have to work on many aspects including accuracy, which is why I don't keep an eye on the speed gun." It was during a session at BCCI's Bengaluru-based Centre of Excellence that he registered a mark of 147.3 kmph. According to The Indian Express, this is the fastest ball bowled by any Indian U-19 cricketer till date. The feat is a testament to Pranav's sheer pace and potential, putting him at the forefront of India's young fast bowlers. Pranav's fast bowling development is also being guided by top mentors. He trained under Australian great Glenn McGrath at the MRF Pace Foundation and impressed everyone by clocking 139 kmph at just 16 years of age. His progress has continued apace. MRF Pace Foundation head coach M Senthilnathan has high hopes from the young pacer. With his natural pace and growing experience, many believe that Pranav could cross the 150 kmph milestone very soon - a rare feat for any young Indian bowler. This makes him a very exciting prospect for the future of Indian fast bowling, with him expected to lead the pace attack for the national team.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
RCB to be sold after historic IPL 2025 win? Owner Diageo breaks silence
Image credit: BCCI/IPL Diageo India, the Indian branch of UK-based Diageo Plc and owner of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) IPL franchise, has firmly rejected rumors of selling the team. In a letter addressed to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and its Surveillance Department on Tuesday, June 10, a Diageo India representative stated that the media reports suggesting a potential sale are purely speculative. "The company would like to clarify that the aforesaid media reports are speculative in nature and it is not pursuing any such discussion," Mital Sanghvi, the company secretary, informed the regulating body of the Indian Stock Market. "This is for your information and records." Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! According to a Cricbuzz report, Diageo's statement was in response to a query from the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), where the company is publicly listed. Since speculation about a possible sale of the RCB franchise began circulating, shares of United Spirits — the Diageo-owned company that holds RCB — have seen a notable uptick. On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that Diageo is considering selling the RCB franchise. The report surfaced shortly after RCB's maiden IPL title win on June 3 — a milestone achieved after 17 years — followed tragically by an incident in Bengaluru on June 4, where celebrations turned fatal, leaving 11 dead and many injured. Virat Kohli's love for 'dhaba' food, priority for family & more | RCB bus driver shares stories Though Diageo officially dismissed the sale reports as "speculative," the ambiguity of their statement has sparked deeper speculation. A seasoned voice in India's sports business ecosystem suggested that 'being a public company, there will be a lot of pressure on reputational damage,' hinting that Diageo could be weighing its options more seriously than publicly admitted. There are also murmurs about Diageo valuing the RCB franchise at around USD 2 billion. While some industry insiders view that figure as inflated — especially when compared to Torrent's acquisition of Gujarat Titans at approximately INR 7500 crore (around USD 1 billion) — others disagree. Lalit Modi , the architect of the IPL, told Cricbuzz that a USD 2 billion valuation for RCB is quite realistic. 'A particularly special feeling': Andy Flower hails Virat Kohli, RCB after historic title win "I will not be surprised if it is sold for a higher price," he remarked, adding that comparing the RCB valuation to that of the newer Gujarat franchise isn't an apples-to-apples comparison. "I will not be surprised if it is sold for a higher price," he said , stating that the valuation of GT cannot be compared here since it was a one-year-old deal. The sale report remains speculative, as clarified by the Diageo official in the response to the BSE. "No decision is final and they may decide against selling the team, the people said, asking not to be named as the details are private," the Bloomberg report says.
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
Red Bull's Lindblad granted F1 licence ahead of 18th birthday
Formula One's governing body has granted Red Bull junior driver Arvid Lindblad a super licence ahead of his 18th birthday in August after the team requested a dispensation. Formula One rules say drivers must be over 18, a measure introduced after Red Bull's now four-time world champion Max Verstappen was signed by Toro Rosso at 16 and made his race debut at 17 in 2015. Lindblad, born in Britain to a Swedish father and mother of Indian heritage, is seen as a hot prospect and the exemption will allow him to take part in F1 practice ahead of the August break. He has been tipped for an eventual seat at Racing Bulls, Red Bull's Italy-based sister team which currently has Frenchman Isack Hadjar and New Zealand's Liam Lawson. READ: F1 announces 2026 calendar: Madrid to make Formula One debut; Imola scrapped Hadjar has impressed in his rookie season, with speculation he could be next to move up to the senior team alongside Verstappen if Yuki Tsunoda is not retained. Verstappen is also only a penalty point away from a one-race ban, meaning Red Bull needs to be prepared to shuffle around drivers. Lindblad, third overall in the Formula Two championship, already has enough points for a super licence with age his only barrier. The governing FIA's World Motor Sport Council, granting the request at a meeting in Macau, said Lindblad had 'recently and consistently demonstrated outstanding ability and maturity in single-seater formula car competition'. Mercedes was in a similar position with Kimi Antonelli last year but waited until he was 18, also in August, before giving him a practice debut. The Italian this season took the seat vacated by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
