Sport - India;Kerala celebrates a massive victory with 46 golds

KOCHI: Kerala celebrated its biggest victory in the National schools athletics championship at the Maharaja’s Stadium here on Sunday. The host, which won the overall team title for the 12th consecutive year, finished with 46 gold medals and 355 points, its best performance ever, at the end of the five-day event.

Uttar Pradesh was a distant second with 10 golds and 83 points while Punjab was third with five golds and 55 points.

Kerala also accounted for ten of the 18 records which fell in the championship. Kerala Education Minister M. A. Baby and Sports Minister M. Vijayakumar gave away the prizes.

The winners:

Senior boys: 200m: M.M. Sreeraj (Ker) 22.24s. 800m: U.N. Arun Kumar (Ker) 1:56.45s. 400m hurdles: Vikas Chandran (Ker) 52.35s (NMR, OR Yuvaraj Singh, Gujarat, 53.2, 2003). 4x400m relay: Kerala (3:17.88s). 5000m walk: K. Rabichandra Singh (Man) 21:40.2s. Triple jump: Dharaj Kamala Sankar (Mah) 15.50m (NMR, OR Dhiraj Mishra, Maharashtra, 15.48, 2008). Pole-vault: Sanjay Yadav (U.P.) 4.30m.

Junior boys: 200m: Binish K. Shaji (Ker) 21.99s (NMR, OR Rajesh, Delhi, 22.1, 2003). 800m: Ramdas Sahni (U.P.) 1:58s. Javelin: Sunil Kumar Yadav (U.P.) 62m. Sub-junior boys: 200m: Biswanth Santha (Ori) 23.23s. 600m: Sandhu Sukumaran (Ker) 1:25.58s.

Cross country (boys, combined): Rahul Kumar Singh (U.P.) 14:06s.

Senior girls: 200m: E.M. Indulekha (Ker) 24.55s (NMR, OR K.R. Vinitha Tripathi, Delhi, 1998). 800m: Chinchu Jose (Ker) 2:09.14s (NMR, OR Tintu Luka, Kerala, 2:09.50 2006). 400m hurdles: R. Anu (Ker) 1:03.34s. 4x400m relay: Kerala (3:58.93s). Triple jump: Amitha Baby (Ker) 12.66m (NMR, OR A.P. Alka Chikili, Kerala, 12.46, 2005). Hammer throw: Sonya Shinde (Mah) 38.89m.

Junior girls: 200m: Ranjitha Mahanta (Ori) 25.3s. 800m: K. Sinsha (Ker) 2:12.01s (NMR, OR Tintu Luka, Kerala, 2:13.85s, 2005). Triple jump: Shilpa Chacko (Ker) 11.75m. Discus: Suman (Har) 37.18m. Shot put: Ketki Sethi (Pun) 10.31m.

Sub-junior girls: 200m: Dutee Chand (Ori) 25.15s (NMR, OR Maria James, Kerala, 25.77, 2001). 600m: Angel Mathew (Ker) 1:40.43s. Shot put: K. Subhashini (TN) 9.93m.

Cross country (girls, combined): M.D. Thara (Ker) 9:24s.

Individual champions: Boys: Seniors: M.M. Sreeraj, Vikas Chandran (both Kerala) and Birsa Oram (Orissa, 10 pts each). Juniors: Ramdas Sahni (U.P., 15 pts). Sub-juniors: A.M. Abdu Samad (Kerala, 13 pts).

Girls: Seniors: E.M. Indulekha (Kerala, 13 pts). Juniors: Renjitha Mahanta (Orissa, 10 pts). Sub-juniors: P. Merlin (Kerala) & Dutee Chand (Orissa, both 10 pts).