Malavika salvages State pride with national mark

Karnataka relay quartet powers to victory in 4x50 medley

The only other gold for Karnataka on the day was won by the boys’ Group IV 4x50M medley relay team.

Malavika, who broke the national mark in the morning heats by 0.01 seconds, rewrote the girls’ Group III 50M freestyle mark in the evening final as well. The Delhi Public School (South) seventh standard student was given a strong challenge by Jayaveena of Tamil Nadu and Trisha Bhimani of Maharashtra till the 25-metre mark.

Bhimani then faded away as Jayaveena and Malavika broke clear from the rest of the swimmers. Towards the home stretch it was an even battle with neither swimmer willing to concede an inch. However, the 12-year-old Malavika squeezed past her rival to touch the pad in 29.71, narrowly ahead of Jayaveena, who also bettered the meet mark, reaching home in 30.16 to claim silver. Trisha took bronze in 30.55.

Malavika, who also broke the State record in the 50M freestyle here, erased the previous time of 30.26 set by Rujuta Bhat of Maharashtra in 2008.

In the morning session, Karnataka quartet of S Siva, Roshan Uday, Sri Hari N and Karan K Raju clocked two minutes 28.53 to bag the Group IV 4x50M medley relay gold.

Two more national records were set on Tuesday. Monique Gandhi of Maharashtra cruised home in 1:23.99 for the girls’ Group III 100M breaststroke title, obliterating Maharashtrian Gauri Desai’s three-year-old record of 1:25.25.

Tamil Nadu’s Sherlyn Meghana Devadason timed 2:38.71 in Group III 200M individual medley to erase the five-year-old national mark of 2:40.36 stood in the name of Kanchi Desai of Maharashtra.

Maharashtra lead the table with 12 gold followed by Karnataka with four gold after two days of competition.

Meanwhile, organisers have withheld the result of boys’ Group III 50M freestyle result due to an over-age issue with one of the swimmers.

Results:
Boys: Group III: 100M breaststroke: Viraj Prabhu (Mah) 1:18.90, 1; Likhith S P (Kar) 1:20.72, 2; Deep Shaw (WB) 1:22.97, 3. 200M individual medley: Jason Smith (Mah) 2:38.80, 1; M Keerthy (AP) 2:42.55, 2; Ruban Kumar (TN) 2:48.80, 3.
Group IV: 50M butterfly: Ritish Mavle (Mah) 33.86, 1; Siddharth Gada (Mah) 34.52, 2; S Danush (TN) 35.29, 3.
4x50M medley relay: Karnataka (S Siva, Roshan Uday, Sri Hari N, Karan K Raju) 2:28.53, 1; Tamil Nadu (V S Gokulnath, S Abishek, Danush, Balaji) 2:28.92, 2; Maharashtra (Siddharth, Albin, Ritish, Aryan) 2:30.00, 3.
Girls:  Group III: 50M freestyle: Malavika V (Kar) 29.71; NR. (bettered national record in heats: 30.25). Old record (30.26, Rujuta Bhat, Mah, 2008) 1; A V Jayaveena (TN) 30.16, 2. BMR; Trisha Bhimani (Mah) 30.55, 3.
100M breaststroke: Monique Gandhi (Mah) 1:23.99; NR. Old record (1:25.25, Gauri Desai, Mah, 2007) 1; A V Jayaveena (TN) 1:25.79, 2; Aakanksha Vora (Mah) 1:27.08, 3.
200M individual medley: Sherlyn Meghana Devadason (TN) 2:38.71; NR. Old record (2:40.36, Kanchi Desai, Mah, 2005) 1; Aakanksha Vora (Mah) 2:43.42, 2; Charu Hamsini D A (Kar) 2:53.71, 3.
Group IV: 50M butterflystroke: Sakshi Bhalgat (Mah) 36.98, 1; Pranjal Tathwade (Mah) 37.08, 2; Uthare U S (Kar) 37.33, 3.
4x50M medley relay: Maharashtra (Sakshi, Arya, Pranjal, Vanshika) 2:38.22, 1; Karnataka (Manasi Herekar, Preethi T, Uthare U S, Akshata Desai) 2:40.98, 2; Tamil Nadu (P M Abishiktha, Sanskriti, Sharon, Kaavya) 2:43.63, 3.
Diving : Boys: Group I:  High board: Pushkar Meitei (SSCB) 373.15, 1; Abhishek T (UP) 304.95, 2; Ketan S (Mah) 250.60, 3.
Group II: 3M spring board: Malemnganba (SSCB) 301.50, 1; Himanshu S (SSCB) 287.85, 2; D Ajay (TN) 225.30, 3.
Group III: 3M spring board: Sidharth P (SSCB) 251.10, 1; Aditya G (Mah) 222.25, 2; Sandeep D (Bhr) 222.25, 3.
Girls: Group I: High board: Deepti P (Del) 306.45, 1; Jagruti S (Mah) 230.45, 2; Tanuka D (WB) 194.80, 3.
Group III: 3M spring board: Vineeta Ravikumar (Kar) 152.60, 1; Aboli S (Mah) 143.90, 2; Genevieve D (Goa) 141.85, 3.