Date:30/06/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/30/stories/2008063060332000.htm

Sport - Sports : General

Maharashtra wins team title

KOLKATA: Maharashtra won the overall team championship with 344 points on the concluding day of the 25th sub-junior National aquatics meet at the Subhas Sarobar Pool here on Sunday.

Bengal’s Ranit Dey and Rujuta Bhatt of Maharashtra were adjudged the best swimmers in Group III for boys and girls, while Vishawesh Dudham and Swara Kulkarni, both from Maharashtra, were declared the best in Group IV for boys and girls.

Four records

The final day saw four records being rewritten, two in the individual section and two in medley events.Ranit timed 29.68s in the heats of the 50m butterfly in the boys’ group to erase the previous mark of 30.69 set by Mohit Kumar of Delhi in 2003. In the final, Ranit timed 29.77s.

The results: Group III (11-12 years): Boys: 100m freestyle: 1. Ranit Dey (Ben) 1:04.71s, 2. O. Phani Kumar (AP) 1:04.80, 3. Yogeshwar Prasad (U.P.) 1:05.84. 100m breaststroke: 1. Raoul Rajani (Mah) 1:24.23, 2. Akhilesh Ram (Kar) 1:25.13, 3. Arun S. (Ker) 1:25.39. 50m butterfly: 1. Ranit Dey (Ben) 29.77, 2. J.T. Yugesh Kumar (TN) 31.09, 3. Supriya Mondal (Ben) 31.95. (Ranit Dey set a NMR in the heats clocking 29.68s. Previous mark of 32.91s was by Mohit Kumar of Delhi in 2003).

Group IV (9-10): 100m freestyle: 1. Vishawesh Dudham (Mah) 1:09.24, 2. Sumeer Malhotra (TN) 1:09.27, 3. Mohammed Yaqoob (Kar) 1:09.76. 4x50m medley: 1. Maharashtra 2:31.15s (NMR, previous 2:35.19 by Maharashtra in 2003), 2. Karnataka 2:35.41, 3. Tamil Nadu 2:46.71.

Group III: Girls: 100m freestyle: 1. Rujuta Bhatt (Mah) 1:05.84, 2. V.K.R. Meenakshi (TN) 1:06.21, 3. Ananya Panigrahi (Mah) 1:07.90. 100m breaststroke: 1. Priyanka (Del) 1:25.86, 2. Divya Guruswamy (Kar) 1:27.17, 3. Risha Singha (Ben) 1:27.91. 50m butterfly: 1. Rujuta Bhatt (Mah) 32.56, 2. Ohileshwari M.K. (Kar) 32.99, 3. V.K.R. Meenakshi (TN) 33.98. (Rujuta set a NMR in the heats clocking 32.44s. Previous mark of 32.91 was set by Arhatha Magavi of Karnataka in 2006).

Group IV: 100m freestyle: 1. Malavika V. (Kar) 1:11.10, 2. Aakanksha Vora (Mah) 1:11.67, 3. Ashwathy Nair (Mah) 1:11.68. 4x50m medley: 1. Maharashtra 2:31.15, (NMR, previous 2:35.19 by Maharashtra in 2003), 2. Karnataka 2:35.41, 3. Tamil Nadu 2:46.71.

Diving: 1m springboard: Boys Group II (14-15): 1. Y.H. Meitei (Ser) 320.30 points, 2. Prem Potabatti (Mah) 311.95, 3. Ch. Puskar Meitei (Ser) 278.60.

Girls: Group II: 1. Nammi Divya Theja (Kar) 252.25, 2. Priyanka Thakkar (Mah) 246.10, 3. J.S. Satarkar (Mah) 220.65. — Special Correspondent