Maharashtra secure top spot in Khelo India Youth Games

Patna: Having won the team championship in Madhya Pradesh (2023) and Tamil Nadu (2024), Maharashtra completed a hattrick of titles when they finished on top of the Khelo India Youth Games 2025 medal tally. The seventh edition of KIYG, which ended on Thursday at Patna’s Patliputra Sports Complex.

The Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya congratulated Bihar for hosting the Games. “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the state of Bihar for successfully hosting the Khelo India Youth Games 2025. The impeccable organization and vibrant energy witnessed throughout the event have truly showcased Bihar’s emerging role in India’s sporting journey.”

In these under-18 Games, Maharashtra won gold medals across 14 sports with bulk of them coming from athletics (10), swimming (7), gymnastics (7), archery (6) and weightlifting (5). Maharashtra won a total of 158 medals that included 47 silver and 53 bronze. Several athletes who excelled for Maharashtra, particularly the weightlifters, archers and fencers, train at Khelo India centres or National Centres of Excellence of the Sports Authority of India in Aurangabad, Patiala and Sonepat.

Two hundred and eighty-five gold medals across 27 disciplines were decided during the 12-day Games and Maharashtra accounted for 58 of them.  Haryana, which was third in the Tamil Nadu edition last year, finished runners-up in Bihar with 39 gold medals, bulk of them coming from wrestling (8), boxing (8), fencing (7) and athletics (6). Karnataka finished third with 17 gold medals, one more thanDelhi (finishing fourth) and two more than last year’s hosts Tamil Nadu (finishing sixth). Hosts Bihar showed massive improvement in these Games. Events were staged in five cities spread across the state and Delhi. Bihar’s athletes won 36 medals, seven of them gold, to finish a creditable 15th, up from 21st in Tamil Nadu. (Agencies)

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