Union Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore inaugurates 2nd edition of Khelo India Youth Games

The second edition of Khelo India Youth Games was officially inaugurated yesterday evening by union sports minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore at Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune. The first day of 12-day sporting extravaganza was action-packed with many records being broken by the young athletes. Delhi dominated the first day with five gold medals followed by Maharashtra and Haryana with three and two gold medals, respectively. Manipur, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal won one gold medal each. 

In weightlifting the athletes surpassed their own records. Maharashtra's Shubham Kolekar, who won the National Youth championship a fortnight ago, improved his record by lifting 139 kgs in the under-17 55 kg category. Similarly, Bhaktaram Desti from Odisha, competing in under-17 49 kg category improved his record by lifting 105 kgs. 

A slew of



young Youth Olympic champions, World Cadet Wrestling gold medallists, Olympian athletes and medal-winning shooters will be among the stars in action from today in Khelo India Youth Games at Pune. The athletes will compete in 18 different disciplines, of which six are team sports. The agenda includes Kabaddi and Kho-Kho. The young sportspersons will get a chance make their dreams come alive on a national platform. 

They are not only representing the urban and rural India but also span a wide range of 10-21 years. Maharashtra, who finished second in the inaugural Khelo India School Games 2018, are aiming to grab the top spot from Haryana.Maharashtra has close to 900 athletes and officials and coaches, which makes it by far the biggest contingent at the Games. On first day Maharashtra grabbed 4 Gold, 5 Silver and 5 Bronze Medals.