Khelo India Youth Games: Odisha girls clinch Gold in Kho Kho, Bronze for boys

Odisha defeated Maharashtra by six points in the girls' category to emerge Kho Kho champions in the Khelo India Youth Games held at Ranital Sports Complex in Jabalpur.

The girls Kho Kho team dominated the gold medal match from start to finish and produced an exhilarating win by 32-26 against Maharashtra.

On their way up, Odisha girls defeated Punjab in the Semi-Final. Odisha scored 22 points by dismissing 11 players of Punjab in the first inning. The Punjab team could earn only 18 points by dismissing nine players in both innings. Odisha had defeated Punjab by an innings and four points to enter the finals.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra defeated Odisha in the boy’s semi-final match on February 2 to enter the final. Jabalpur has been entrusted with the responsibility of hosting four games—archery, fencing, kho-kho and cycling.

Following the defeat in the semis, the boy’s Kho Kho team defeated West Bengal 14-12 to grab the Bronze medal in the games.

The Khelo India Youth Games is an important event for young athletes in the country. Formerly known as Khelo India School Games, Khelo India Youth Games are the annual national-level multidisciplinary grass-root games in India held in January or February for two categories, namely under-17 years school students and under-21 years college students.