JOIN USVidith, Adya shine on day one
Karnataka began their title defence at the 33rd Sub-junior National Aquatics Championships in a commendable fashion here at the Basavanagudi Aquatic Centre on Wednesday.
On a day when rain didn’t seem to have any mercy on the young swimmers with drizzle persistent throughout the course of the action, the State swimmers were quick to adapt to the condition and dish out medal-winning performances.
Vidith S Shanakar and Adya Nayak were the standout performers for the hosts as the two swimmers, banking on their quick movements, remained a notch higher than their competitors on a day that saw two new national marks being set.
In the boys’ 4x50 metre freestyle (Group III), Assam clinched gold in 1:15.13, surpassing Karnataka’s previous record of 1:5454, set in 2014.
In the girls’ 4x50 metre freestyle (Group III), Maharashtra came first in 2:02.17, overhauling their old record of 2:02.50, established in 2010.
Taking the pool for the 50M backstroke (Group IV), Vidith never looked in danger of losing the top spot as he covered enough distance after the initial 20 metres. Later, it was just a matter of keeping his cool and maintaining the gap, something the 10-year-old did to perfection. He won the gold in 36.56 seconds, while H Nithik of Tamil Nadu took the silver in 36.98 seconds. Assam’s Rehan Mirza completed the podium in 37.55 second.
While Vidith’s win seemed like a routine affair for many, Adya’s run to the top of the podium was nothing less than sensational.
Swimming at her home course, Adya looked in trouble during the initial stages of her 100M butterfly in Group III. Assam’s Astha Choudhury was quick to get off the blocks and take a sizable lead after the initial 100 metres. And even though she looked on course for a surprise gold, it was not to be as Adya – egged on by a noisy crowd at the Basavanagudi Centre – took the fight to her competitor and eventually leaped ahead in the final 25 meters to win the yellow metal.
The 12-year-old swimmer won the race in 1:11.51, while Astha had to be content with a silver medal in 1:12.17. Aeka Chatra of Maharashtra took the bronze medal in 1:13.53. “I didn’t think it would be this close. But I am happy that I could win the race,” said Adya, a student of Delhi Public School, South Bengaluru.
DH News Service
Results: Boys: Group III: 200M freestyle: Hiren Shagolsem (Man) 2:09:51, 1; Kapil Shetty (Kar) 2:11.70, 2; Aryan Nehra (Guj) 2:12.35, 3.
100M butterfly: Bikram Changmai (Asm) 1:06.85, 1; Shoan Ganguly (Kar) 1:07.40, 2; Samarth Subramanya (Kar) 1:08.71, 3.
4x50M freestyle relay: Assam 1:51.13 (NMR, Old: 1:54.54, Karnataka, 2014) 1; Karnataka 1:57.06, 2; Maharashtra 1:57.64, 3.
Group IV: 50M backstroke: Vidith S Shanakar (Kar) 36.56, 1; H Nithik (TN) 36.98, 2; Rehan Mirza (Asm) 37.55, 3.
4x50M freestyle relay: Karnataka 2:09.26, 1; Tamil Nadu 2:12.06, 2; Maharashtra 2:12.52, 3.
Girls: Group III: 200M freestyle: Akansha Shah (Mah) 2:21.85, 1; Seeya Bijlani (Mah) 2:24.31, 2; Astha Choudhury (Asm) 2:24.70, 3.
100M butterfly: Adya Nayak (Kar) 1:11.51, 1; Astha Choudhury (Asm) 1:12.17, 2; Aeka Chatra (Mah) 1:13.53, 3.
4x50M freestyle: Maharashtra 2:02.17 (NMR, Old: 2:02.50, Maharashtra, 2010), 1; Tamil Nadu 2:04.99, 2; Karnataka 2:05.54, 3.
Group IV: 50M backstroke: Yaiphabi Thoudam (Man) 39.20, 1; Nitya Khinvasara (Mah) 39.34, 2; Rajoshri Routh (Bengal) 39.56, 3.
4x50M freestyle relay: Maharashtra 2:15.33, 1; Karnataka 2:18.32, 2; Tamil Nadu 2:19.77, 3.
Diving: Boys: Group I: High board: Sourav Debnath (Services) 363.20, 1; Sandeepkumar Prajapathi (Kar) 290.90, 2; Amit Dev (Services) 289.90, 3.
Group II: 1M spring board: N Willson Singh (Services) 281.40, 1; Joydip Nayek (Services) 276.55, 2; Satvik Gerri (Mah) 275.60, 3.
Girls: Group I: High Board: Bhavika Pingle (MP) 234.80, 1; Sweta Dey (Bengal) 186.60, 2; Aishwarya Bhosale (Mah) 161.30, 3.
Group II: 1M spring board: Bilwa Giram (Mah) 183.80, 1; Marathe Titiksha (MP) 178.85, 2; Moupriya Mitra (Bengal) 157.90, 3.