Star Odisha gymnast Pranati Nayak continued her brilliant form with another day of outstanding performances at the ongoing 37th edition of the National Games 2023 in Goa on Saturday. Pranati Nayak bagged yet another gold medal in Beams Apparatus and a silver in Floor Exercise Apparatus to help Odisha finish their Gymnastics campaign with a total of four gold and four silver medals.
Earlier in the day, Tapan Mohanty also logged a silver medal winning performance in Parallel Bars while Mohd. Anas bested him to secure a silver medal in the vault category. Odisha’s Pencak Silat contingent was the other standout performance of the day, with the Men’s Regu team achieving a silver medal. Furthermore, Yashwant Luhar won bronze while Aswini Rao and Plizalin Tarai also sealed their berths in the semifinals.
With the day’s results Pranati brings her haul to a total of four gold medals and a silver medal, a testament to Odisha’s rapidly growing prowess in the sport of Gymnastics. Tapan Mohanty was also impressive with two silver medals to his name. Following the day’s success, Ashok Mishra who leads the Gymnastics contingent for Odisha, lauded Odisha’s best performance in Gymnastics.
“This is a great result for us, we are all very proud of the whole team and support staff for the work they have put in the buildup and during the National Games. Pranati has been exceptional in the competition, she missed out on a fifth gold with a very thin margin. The young Tapan Mohanty and Mohd Anas was also fabulous,” said Mishra.
“The Government of Odisha has provided us with fantastic infrastructure for the sport. Our athletes can train and reside at the AMNS India Gymnastics High Performance Centre. This is a compact system where they are exposed to everything they need. This includes nutrition, recovery, sports science and a strong team of coaches. It has given our athletes a massive advantage and we are grateful for the facilities.”
Amongst the day’s other promising results, the Odisha women’s football team kicked off their campaign with a swift 3-0 victory against Chandigarh. In Billiards, Odisha’s Subrat Das has made his way to the quarter final.