Karnataka emerge champions

Hosts Karnataka ran away with the overall championship trophy with Varsha S Puranik rounding off with a half-marathon gold on the concluding day of the 49th National Speed Roller Skating Championships at the NICE Road, Sompura here on Saturday.

Karnataka finished the championship with a whopping 291 points, way ahead of runners-up Gujarat, who had 104 points. Andhra Pradesh came in third with 101 points. With this conquest, Karnataka extended their reign at the top of the national skating hierarchy to the seventh year, having been overall champions since 2006.

Earlier in the day, 24-year-old Varsha cruised to her first gold of the championship in the Senior girls’ half-marathon. State-mate Pragna HA claimed the silver while Gujarat’s Vrinda bagged the bronze medal.

In the Junior boys’ half-marathon, Karnataka’s Akash Raju disappointed, taking the silver behind Tamil Nadu’s Hariharan. Shreeyesh of Tamil Nadu settled for the bronze.

In the 3000M relay events held late on Friday evening, Karnataka romped home with the Junior boys’, and Senior and Junior girls’ titles.

Results: Half-Marathon -2100M: Boys: Senior: Priyanshu (Guj) 1; Meet Shah (Guj) 2; Jainam Hemeshbhai Shah (Guj) 3.   

Junior: Hariharan (TN) 1; Akash Raju (Kar) 2; Shreeyesh (TN) 3. Girls: Senior: Varsha S Puranik (Kar) 1; Pragna HA (Kar) 2; Vrinda (Guj) 3.  

Junior: Shraddha Reddy (AP) 1; Muskaan Chauhan (Har) 2; Juliana Maria James (Kar) 3. Relay: 3000M: Boys: Senior: Gujarat, 1; Andhra Pradesh, 2.  

Junior: Karnataka, 1; Tamil Nadu, 2.

Girls: Senior: Karnataka, 1; Gujarat, 2.

Junior: Karnataka, 1; Tamil Nadu, 2. 

Overall champions: Karnataka: 291; Runner’s up: Gujarat: 104.