Expectedly, Arvind M and Damini K Gowda led Karnataka’s assault on the medals with fine performances as the 20-time champions moved closer to retaining their hold on the overall title in the Junior National Aquatic Championships here on Saturday.
On the penultimate day of the 40th edition at the Gachibowli Stadium where the sun finally made an appearance for the first time, Arvind and Damini nailed two golds from as many events while Rakshith U Shetty, S Siva and Hemanth Jenukal VB pocketed one each as Karnataka took their overall tally to an impressive 26 gold, 17 silver and 11 bronze.
Arvind, who won an individual gold on the opening day in national record-breaking timing, made it a meet to remember after obliterating two more records. While his performance in the Group I 200M individual medley was dominating where he completed a sizzling pole-to-finish victory, his show in the 200M backstroke was all about strategy which he executed brilliantly to triumph in style.
The 17-year-old Basavanagudi Aquatic Centre trainee hit the front soon after the start in the 200M individual medley. He just kept pressing the accelerator from then on. At the midway stage he held a two-second lead and by the time he turned for the penultimate lap he had extended it to a commanding four seconds before powering home in 2:11.13, thus breaking J Agnishwar’s mark of 2:12.75 set in 2007. T Sethu Manickavel of Tamil Nadu won the silver after touching the pad in 2:16.19 while his State-mate R Vishak won the bronze with a timing of 2:16.23.
Arvind then followed it up with a calculative swim in the 200M backstroke. Sticking to his strategy of just staying close to the leader and then bursting through in the final lap, Arvind tailed Madhya’s Pradesh Rohit Imoliya for the better part before steaming home in the last 40 metres to clinch the gold in a national record timing of 2:11.30. Imoliya settled for silver at 2:13.18 and Karnataka’s Pranam B won the bronze with a timing of 2:13.78.
Damini swam an excellent race in the girls Group II individual medley. Just like Arvind, she opened a five-second lead by the halfway stage and then cruised home in 2:30.12. State-mate Shraddha Sudhir was a distant second at 2:35.58.
Rakshith triumphed in 50M Group I butterfly, Siva won the yellow metal in Group II 200M backstroke and Hemanth emerged victorious in the Group II 200M individual medley.
Young sensation Maana Patel won the Group II 200M backstroke gold in 2:23.41 to notch up her third Indian Best timing of the meet.
Results: Swimming: Boys: Group I: 400M freestyle: Raj Bhanvadia (Gujarat) 4:12.14, 1; Mitesh Manoj Kunte (Karnataka) 4:13.04, 2; Mohammed Yaqooib Saleem (Karnataka) 4:16.50, 3.
200M backstroke: Arvind M (Karnataka) 2:11.30 (NR; Old: 2:11.46, Praveen Tokas, Delhi, 2007) 1; Rohit Imoliya (Madhya Pradesh) 2:13.18, 2; Pranam B (Karnataka) 2:13.78, 3.
50M butterfly: Rakshith U Shetty (Karnataka) 25.69 seconds, 1; Supriya Mondal (West Bengal) 26.24, 2; JT Yugeshkumar (Tamil Nadu) 26.91, 3.
200M individual medley: Arvind M (Karnataka) 2:11.13 (NR; Old: 2:12.75, J Agnishwar, Tamil Nadu, 2007) 1; T Sethu Manickavel (Tamil Nadu) 2:16.19, 2; R Vishak (Tamil Nadu) 2:16.23, 3.
Group II: 400M freestyle: Ishaan Jaffer (Maharashtra) 4:18.80, 1; Sanjeev R (Karnataka) 4:19.16, 2; Aryan Makhija (Maharashtra) 4:27.03, 3.
200M backstroke: S Siva (Karnataka) 2:24.90, 1; Hemanth Jenukal VB(Karnataka) 2:25.74, 2; Sahil Joshi (Maharashtra) 2:26.43, 3.
50M butterfly: KS Rahul (Chhattisgarh) 28.67, 1; KS Mohith Raj (Andhra Pradesh) 28.97, 2; Nachiket Buzruk (Maharashtra) 29.39, 3.
200M individual medley: Hemanth Jenukal VB (Karnataka) 2:22.92, 1; Spandan Pratik Rath (Karanataka) 2:23.24, 2; Saumya Vora (Maharashtra) 2:28.09, 3.
Girls: Group I: 800M freestyle: Monique Gandhi (Maharashtra) 9:21.24 (NR; Old: 9:23.79, Surabhi Tipre, Maharashtra, 2010) 1; Aakanksha Vora (Maharashtra) 9:33.51, 2; Shruthi Mahalingam (Tamil Nadu) 9:53.04, 3.
200M backstroke: Ananya Panigrahi (Maharashtra) 2:30.92, 1; Tulasi R Harista (Karnataka) 2:33.96, 2; Shreyanti Pan (West Bengal) 2:37.93, 3.
50M butterfly: Avantika Chavan (Maharashtra) 29.52, 1; Shivani Kataria (Haryana) 29.54, 2; Rujuta Bhatt (Maharashtra) 30.80, 3.
200M individual medley: AV Jayaveena (Tamil Nadu) 2:28.09 (NR; Old: 2:28.71, Kanchi Desai, Maharashtra, 2011) 1; VKR Meenaskshi (Tamil Nadu) 2:30.75, 2; Malavika V (Karnataka) 2:30.85, 3.
Group II: 1500M freestyle: PM Abishiktha (Tamil Nadu) 18:30.49, 1; Nikita Bhaiya (Tamil Nadu) 19:21.46, 2; Ayusha Bora (Maharashtra) 19:47.72, 3.
50M butterfly: Damini K Gowda (Karnataka) 30.42, 1; Yuga Birnale (Maharashtra) 30.54, 2; Sanah Bhabha (Maharashtra) 30.68, 3.
200M backstroke: Maana Patel (Gujarat) 2:23.41 (India Best; Old: 2:26.41, Shikha Tandon, Karnataka, 2009) 1; Nivya Raja (Tamil Nadu) 2:37.89, 2; A Kaavyashri (Tamil Nadu) 2:43.91, 3.
200M individual medley: Damini K Gowda (Karnataka) 2:30.12, 1; Shraddha Sudhir (Karnataka) 2:35.58, 2; Proteeti Sinha (Maharashtra) 2:38.13, 3.
Waterpolo: Boys: Super League: Maharashtra: 8 drew with Kerala: 8; Kerala: 5 bt West Bengal: 3.
Girls: Semifinals: Kerala: 4 bt Karnataka: 0; Maharashtra: 3 bt West Bengal: 1.