Reliance Foundation athletes made a great impression at the National Games in Goa 2023, winning 30 medals across seven sports. The overall medal count was 15 Gold, 8 Silver, and 7 Bronze medals in a spectacular and medal-laden performance from start to finish. Over 40 Reliance Foundation athletes competed in seven sports at the prestigious championship.
Speaking about the fine display, James Hillier, Athletics Director at Reliance Foundation, said:
“We are really pleased with the results at the National Games. For many of our athletes, it was the last competition of the year in a very long season. They started in April, so to sustain that level of excellence for seven months is a very impressive feat.”
“It was pleasing to not just see the medals, but our athletes also registered their personal bests. It has been a good end to a very successful season for us. It gives us the perfect springboard for next season. The next year is a big year with the Olympics, we are excited and looking forward to it. We’ll be looking to get our best athletes into the Paris Olympics squad.”
Jyothi’s hat-trick; Tejas shatters meet record
Jyothi Yarraji, India’s top hurdler, concluded her season with a hat-trick of medals in the National Games 2023. The icing on the cake was Jyothi rewriting the meet record in the women’s 100m hurdles event, winning Gold in 13.22 seconds. Jyothi also won gold with Andhra Pradesh in the 4x100m relay. Her third medal came in the 200m final, where she took bronze with a time of 23.95s.
Tejas Shirse lived up to his pre-tournament billing by winning Gold in the men’s 110m hurdles event with style. Tejas rewrote the meet record in the event with a strong performance, crossing the finish line in 13.71 seconds.
Off the mark at the #NationalGames2023! ✌️
Gulveer Singh 👉 Men's 5000m 🥇
Elakkiyadasan 👉 Men's 100m 🥇
Swadhin Majhi 👉 Men's High Jump 🥉@sports_odisha @ril_foundation @Nat_Games_Goa | #RFSports #RelianceFoundation #GetSetGoa #LetsPlay #Goa #Atheltics #Goa2023 #Games… pic.twitter.com/5j4TgVYOhX— RF Youth Sports (@RFYouthSports) October 29, 2023
Gulveer Singh, an Asian Games winner, won gold in the 5000m with a timing of 14:13.03s. Gulveer completed a long-distance double by winning bronze in the men’s 10000m event. Elakkkiyadasan, a sprinter, won gold in both the men’s 100m and the men’s 4x100m relay.
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Returning from an injury & winning a 🥇 – the stuff of Champions! 👏
Kudos to our 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥 Baranica Elangovan for a phenomenal comeback at the #NationalGamesGoa2023 😍@ril_foundation @Nat_Games_Goa @sports_odisha | #RFSports #RelianceFoundation #GetSetGoa… pic.twitter.com/3jh3hUWVQG
— RF Youth Sports (@RFYouthSports) November 10, 2023
Kishore Kumar Jena, a javelin thrower who has already qualified for the Olympics in Paris next year, earned bronze with a best throw of 78.47m. Pole vaulter Baranica Elangovan completed her season on a high note as well, earning a Gold with a height of 3.90m.
Swadhin Majhi (bronze, men’s high jump), Graceson Jeeva (silver, men’s 110m hurdles), Moumita Mondal (bronze, women’s long jump), Dhanvir Singh (silver, men’s shot put), and Animesh Kujur (bronze, men’s 200m) were the other Reliance Foundation medalists in athletics.
Anupama Upadhya and Palak Gulia maintain their meteoric rise; Reetika arrives in style
Even before the opening ceremony, Anupama Upadhyaya delivered the first Gold medal by winning the women’s singles tournament. The 18-year-old is now the reigning National and National Games Champion. Palak Gulia won gold in both the women’s 10m air pistol and the mixed 10m air pistol events at the Asian Games, making her the first woman to do so.
𝑨𝒃𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒆 𝑮𝑶𝑳𝑫-𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 💯
🥇x2 for Palak Gulia at the #NationalGamesGoa2023 👏@ril_foundation @Nat_Games_Goa | #RFSports #RelianceFoundation #GetSetGoa #LetsPlay #Goa2023 #RFAthlete pic.twitter.com/7CgxBYtjIx
— RF Youth Sports (@RFYouthSports) November 5, 2023
Niraj Kumar and Nancy added to their shooting medal tally by taking silver in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions and the women’s 10m air rifle events, respectively. Mrinal Chauhan won gold in the men’s team event and silver in the mixed team event in the recurve category, as well as three medals in archery. Ridhi also won a gold medal in the women’s recurve team event.
Ridhi Said:
“It was a proud moment for me to compete in my first National Games. It was my childhood dream to win a medal in the National Games. It gives me a lot of confidence for upcoming tournaments. It’s one of the biggest medals of my career and a much-needed confidence boost. As my experience is increasing, so are my targets. When I was young, I would get a chocolate for hitting a ten. My ultimate goal is to win a Gold for India at the Olympics”
Reetika Hooda appeared in one of the Games’ most memorable moments. In a stunning display, the teenage wrestler from Haryana, fresh from her first-ever world Under 23 Championship victory, defeated Olympian Divya Kakran 10-0 in the finals to win the National Games Gold. The gold rush continued, with boxer Ankushita Boro and judoka Himanshi Tokas both finishing first.
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