Raipur, March 25 The powerhouse state of Karnataka showcased its dominance in the pool, winning five of the six gold medals on offer, with Dhoneesh N making a splash in the men's 200m freestyle on the opening day of the inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games here on Wednesday.
Dhoneesh clocked 2:03.55s, nearly seven seconds faster than his state-mate Keerthan Sharat (2:10.99s), who finished second, while Bhaktish Kumre of Maharashtra took bronze with a time of 2:14.73s.
After Day 1 of competition, Karnataka led the standings with seven medals, including five gold, while Odisha was second with four medals, including one gold. The host state of Chhattisgarh was fourth with two medals.
Anjali Munda of Odisha also shone in the pool, winning the women's 200m freestyle gold in 2:39.02s in a near photo finish with Karnataka's Nidhi S, who took silver in 2:39.09s. Sriya Padiami of Odisha (2:49.04s) finished third.
Karnataka dominated almost every event, with Manikanta L and Mehanjali each winning two gold medals.
Manikanta won the men's 100m breaststroke gold in 1:07.41s, with Palash Thakur of Maharashtra (1:11.69s) finishing nearly four seconds behind in second place. Nikhil Xalco opened the host state of Chhattisgarh's medal tally by taking bronze in 1:11.77s.
Manikanta then returned to claim the 50m butterfly gold in 27.06s, ahead of Firmino Emon Lalung of Assam (27.69s) and Riyaj Tripura of Tripura (28.48s).
In the women's events, Mehanjali stood out, winning the 100m breaststroke gold in 1:25.81s, with Anushka Bhagat of Chhattisgarh taking silver in 1:29.10s.
She then added the 50m butterfly gold in 34.67s, finishing ahead of Tiluttam Hamatia of Tripura (34.85s) and Ritika Minz of Odisha (35.54s).
A total of 30 states and Union Territories are participating in the Khelo India Tribal Games, with nearly 3,800 athletes competing across nine disciplines.
A total of 106 gold medals will be awarded across archery, athletics, football, hockey, swimming, weightlifting, and wrestling, while traditional sports like Mallakhamb and Kabaddi will be featured as demonstration events.