Maharashtra, the champions after 29 years
The Raja Bhalindra Singh Trophy, which is awarded to the team that wins the most gold medals in the National Games, was won by Maharashtra, which finished first with 228 medals, including 80 gold, 69 silver, and 79 bronze. The last time Maharashtra won the most medals at the National Games was in 1994.
The National Games 2023, an Olympic-inspired multisport competition in India, was hosted at five cities in Goa, namelyMapusa, Margao, Panjim, Ponda, and Vasco from October 26 to November 9. Athletes from 28 states, eight Union Territories, and the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) participated in India’s 37th National Games. At the National Games 2023, 29 teams took home at least one gold medal.
Services, the winners of the National Games in the previous four years, stood second with 66 gold, 27 silver, and 33 bronze medals. Third place was occupied by Haryana with 62 gold, 54 silver, and 73 bronze.
More than 10,000 athletes competed for medals in 43 different sports, including both Olympic-style competitions and native sports like kabaddi, mallakhamb, and khokho.
The 37th National Games’ top male athlete was declared to be Olympic swimmer Srihari Nataraj (eight gold, one silver, and one bronze), while the top female athletes were gymnasts SanyuktaPrasen Kale and Pranati Nayak (four gold, one silver, and one bronze each).
Among the top athletes to win gold medals at the National Games 2023 were Bhavani Devi (individual sabre), Priyanka Goswami (20km race walk), JyothiYarraji (100m hurdles), Tejaswin Shankar (decathlon), Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar (50m rifle 3P, 10m air rifle), and Deepika Kumari (recurve individual, mixed team).
Here’s the complete points table of the National Games 2023
| Rank | State/Union Territory/Team | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Maharashtra | 80 | 69 | 79 | 228 |
| 2 | Services | 66 | 27 | 33 | 126 |
| 3 | Haryana | 62 | 55 | 75 | 192 |
| 4 | Madhya Pradesh | 37 | 36 | 39 | 112 |
| 5 | Kerala | 36 | 24 | 27 | 87 |
| 6 | Karnataka | 32 | 32 | 37 | 101 |
| 7 | Manipur | 30 | 22 | 30 | 82 |
| 8 | Delhi | 29 | 26 | 67 | 122 |
| 9 | Goa | 27 | 27 | 38 | 92 |
| 10 | Tamil Nadu | 19 | 26 | 32 | 77 |
| 11 | Punjab | 17 | 26 | 32 | 75 |
| 12 | Assam | 14 | 20 | 22 | 56 |
| 13 | Rajasthan | 14 | 18 | 34 | 66 |
| 14 | Jammu and Kashmir | 14 | 14 | 18 | 46 |
| 15 | Uttar Pradesh | 11 | 24 | 36 | 71 |
| 16 | Odisha | 10 | 18 | 30 | 58 |
| 17 | Gujarat | 8 | 2 | 19 | 29 |
| 18 | West Bengal | 7 | 23 | 26 | 56 |
| 19 | Andhra Pradesh | 7 | 5 | 15 | 27 |
| 20 | Jharkhand | 6 | 5 | 14 | 25 |
| 21 | Arunachal Pradesh | 6 | 2 | 5 | 13 |
| 22 | Telangana | 4 | 10 | 11 | 25 |
| 23 | Chandigarh | 4 | 8 | 4 | 15 |
| 24 | Himachal Pradesh | 4 | 2 | 5 | 11 |
| 25 | Uttarakhand | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
| 26 | Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
| 27 | Mizoram | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 28 | Chhattisgarh | 2 | 2 | 16 | 20 |
| 29 | Nagaland | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| 30 | Bihar | 0 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| 31 | Puducherry | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| 32 | Tripura | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 33 | Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 34 | Lakshadweep | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 34 | Sikkim | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Abhay Singh clinches singles titles
Squash star, Abhay Singh, defeated VelavanSenthilkumarin straight sets (11-7, 12-10, 11-6).In the opening set itself, the top seed got off to a fast start against second-seeded Velavan, winning 11-7. In the second set, Velavan forced a tiebreaker and ultimately lost 12–10. The match proceeded to a close finish. In the third set, Abhay found his confidence again and went on to win the tournament without dropping a set. Abhay had also teamed up with Vaibhav to win the team’s event gold medal against Maharashtra.
KM Chandawins 800m gold in Goa
KM Chanda had a difficult experience at the most recent Asian Games in China, even if she announced her arrival with a stunning silver medal at the Asian Athletics Championships 2023. This gifted middle-distance runner’s subsequent state was one of despair. Still, she can afford to be happy since she ended the season with a gold medal from the 800 metres at the National Games.
Odisha Women’s Football Team crowned champions
After defeating Manipur in the tie-breaker at Tilak Maidan in Goa, Odisha emerged victorious in the 37th National Games Women’s Football competition.Odisha has now won the gold medal in women’s football at the National Games twice. After the sides were deadlocked 1-1 at the conclusion of regular, the tie-breakers were used. In penalties, Odisha emerged victorious 4-2.PyariXaxa gave Odisha the lead in the 51st minute following a goal-less first half. However, NongmeikapamSibani Devi of Manipur tied the score in the 79th minute. PyariXaxa, Grace LalrampariHauhnar, BannyaKabiraj, and S Lynda Kom scored the first four penalty goals in the tiebreaker.
Cyclist Swasti Singh clinches gold
Champion rider from Odisha, Swasti Singh, enriched her brilliant collection with a gold medal from the 37th National Games in Goa. Swasti, the winner of the EklabyaPuraskar, emerged victorious in the demanding 75 km Mass Start (Women) Road Cycling competition.At the 74th National Road Cycling Championship in Shirdi, Maharashtra, earlier this year, the 22-year-old rider took home the gold medal in the Women’s Elite 90 km category. With 58 medals in total—10 gold, 18 silver, and 30 bronze—Odisha was ranked 16th when the National Games 2023 drew to a close.
Shagandeep Singh, Sanjukta Dungdung bagged gold in C Mix Double Sculls
Odisha rowers contributed to the state’s total by winning two silver and one gold medal. Shagandeep Singh and Sanjukta Dungdung won the gold in the C Mix Double Sculls competition. In the K4 Women’s 500-meter race, Oinam Bidya Devi, Fulmani Xaxa, Roji Devi, and Shruti Chougule won silver. In the K4M 500m event, Tomthilnganba Ngashepam, Thongam Rahul Singh, Kh Nanao Meitei, and Suraj Bijale won another silver medal.
Arun sets a record for triple jump
Karthik Unnikrishnan, who cleared 17 metres, and T. Selva Prabhu, who finished second in the junior world championship last year with a personal best of 16.78 metres, were the competitors in the triple jump. But when he warmed up for the 37th National Games final at the Bambolin Athletics Stadium in Goa, ABArun felt oddly wonderful. Ultimately, Arun, the 24-year-old victor of the National Open, lifted the gold medal, surpassing both his personal best and the Games record. Thiruvananthapuram-born Arun, a Navy athlete, set a new personal record with a 16.79-meter dive. With a personal best of 17.10 metres, Karthik won the silver medal (16.57), and Selva finished one centimetre behind in the third place.
Gold for Mehuli in 10m air rifle event
West Bengali shooter Mehuli Ghosh won gold in the women’s 10m air rifle competition. Mehuli, one of the 13 shooters who have so far secured India’s quota ticket for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, scored a fantastic 253.7 to take first position. Nancy Mandhotra of Haryana (251.0) took home the silver, and West Bengal’s Swati Chowdhury took home the bronze. Mehuli and Nancy were the only two that made it to the finals. After two rounds at the Pernem Shooting Range, Rajeshwari Kumari of Punjab shot a perfect 50 to lead the women’s trap event, while BakhtyaruddinMalek of Gujarat led the men’s event with a score of 49.
Pradeep Kumar secures gold in 800m
Pradeep Senthil Kumar of Tamil Nadu won the gold in the men’s 800 metres, matching his personal best to claim his first significant national championship.In the second lap, Pradeep pulled away from the pack to take the title with ease. The Chennai-born athlete began his career as a long jumper before transitioning to sprints and eventually middle distance running.
Swimmer Nina Venkatesh wins fourth gold medal
In the Women’s 50M Butterfly, Karnataka’s Nina Venkatesh set a new Games record and earned her fourth gold medal of the competition. In the women’s 50-meter butterfly, Nina stopped the clock in 27.70 seconds to win the gold ahead of Manavi Varma of Karnataka (27.90 seconds) and Rutuja Khade of Maharashtra (28.38 seconds).
Tejaswin breaks Games record in decathlon
The addition of silver medallist Tejaswin Shankar to the decathlon adds a fresh shine to the 10-eventer.
At the 37th National Games in the Bambolim Athletics Stadium, the 24-year-old Delhi native broke the one-year-old meet record on a night when intense rain caused an hour-long stoppage for the athletics competition. Shankar recorded a best of 2.17 metres in his favourite event. He now holds the national records in the decathlon (7666 points, 2023 Asiad) and high jump (2.29 metres, 2018). He will concentrate on the high jump the next year in preparation for the Olympics in Paris in 2024.
Jinabhai breaks record to bag gold
Amazing athletic accomplishments were on display at the 37th National Games, where Gujarati athlete Sunil JoliyaJinabhai created history by breaking the Games record in the men’s 3000 M race and winning a gold medal.
With a timing of 8:37.15 s, Jinabhai’s amazing effort was observed at the Athletics Stadium in Bambolim. Shankar Lal Swami’s previous Games record of 8:43.05 s was broken.
Archer Deepika Kumari Secures Two Gold Medals
The former world No. 1 archer, DeepikaKumari, won two gold and one silver medal in the National Games. Jharkhand’s DeepikaKumari started her medal run in the women’s individual archery division with gold.
Later, she and Mrinal Chauhan teamed up to win the mixed team archery category and place first on the podium. Even though it was a closely fought race, Deepika Kumari and her Jharkhand colleagues were able to earn silver in the women’s team event.
JyothiYarraji clinches gold in 100m hurdles
Silver medallists from the Hangzhou Asian Games, JyothiYarraji, and TejasShirse, showcased their athletic abilities at the 37th National Games by shattering National Games records in the 100m and 110m hurdles events. JyothiYarraji shattered her own record in the 100-metre hurdles, clocking in at 13.22 seconds
In the morning event, Tejas Shirse first broke the Games record in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.80 seconds. He was able to further refine his timing in the final, finishing in an amazing 13.71 seconds.
