How did Lifters Harsabardhan Sahu and Asmita Dhone Set National Youth Records at KIYG 2025?

Patna (Bihar), May 10 (NationPress) Harsabardhan Sahu and Jyoshna Sabar clinched gold medals with remarkable new national youth records during the inaugural day of the weightlifting events at the Khelo India Youth Games 2025 in Rajgir, as Maharashtra solidified its lead in the medal tally, boasting twice the golds of its closest competitor.

The standout athletes of the day were Harsabardhan Sahu and Asmita Dhone, who refused to rest on their recent accomplishments. Just ten days after securing medals for India at the World Youth Weightlifting Championships held in Lima, Peru, they displayed their exceptional talents before an enthusiastic crowd at the Rajgir Sports Complex, each earning a gold medal for Odisha on Saturday.

Harsabardhan Sahu, a rising star from Ganjam district who is about to celebrate his 16th birthday on May 22, achieved a personal milestone by setting two National Youth Records in the boys' 49kg category. He broke the records for Clean and Jerk and Total, achieving lifts of 115kg and 203kg, respectively, along with an 88kg lift in Snatch. The previous records were held by Jharkhand’s Babulal Hembrom from the prior year.

Meanwhile, the 16-year-old Jyoshna Sabar, hailing from Gajapati district and a three-time medalist at the IWF World Youth Championships—including a bronze in Lima on April 30—proved her prowess by effortlessly claiming gold for her state.

Later in the evening on Day 7 of the competitions, Maharashtra’s Asmita Dhone and Uttar Pradesh’s Manasi Chamunda shattered National Youth Records in Snatch, Clean and Jerk, and Total during the girls' 49kg event. Asmita conceded the Snatch record to Manasi, who lifted 75kg but dominated the Clean and Jerk.

When Asmita entered the competition with a 91kg lift, Manasi had already set a National Youth record for a total of 163kg. However, Asmita excelled in Clean and Jerk, achieving lifts of 91kg, 95kg, and 97kg, which not only broke the National Youth record for the total but also established new Clean and Jerk benchmarks.

Earlier on Saturday, Maharashtra secured two gold medals, with Akanksha Kishore Vyavahare marking its entry into the weightlifting events and Kavya Bhatt winning the girls' singles Table Tennis title. This positioned Maharashtra firmly at the top of the Khelo India Youth Games 2025 Bihar medal tally with 27 golds, 21 silvers, and 24 bronzes, totaling 72 medals.

Maharashtra has almost doubled the number of gold medals compared to its closest rival, Karnataka. Punjab climbed to fifth place in the medal standings, trailing behind Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, thanks to victories by its Skeet shooters Harazeez Singh Atwal and Risham Kaur Guron. Punjab shares six golds with Tamil Nadu, Haryana, and Manipur but boasts a greater number of silvers.

On a different note, Delhi and Assam celebrated their first gold medals on Saturday. Delhi’s Naamya Kapoor, a 25m Pistol shooter, triumphed in a tight contest against Anjali Bhagwat from Madhya Pradesh, while Priyanuj Bhattacharyya from Assam excelled in the boys' singles final.

Hosts Bihar faced disappointment in two sepak takraw finals. In the girls’ doubles, Bihar lost to Nagaland despite leading 11-4 in the decisive set. In the boys’ doubles final, Assam triumphed over Bihar, winning the first set 15-9, and clinching a nail-biting second set 17-15, securing the gold.

With 19 medals (three gold, eight silver, and eight bronze), Bihar has reclaimed its spot in the upper echelon of the medal standings.

On Saturday, with only 13 gold medals available and its strongest sport, Swimming, concluded, Karnataka was thrilled to capture its first gold from another sport. Naraen Pranav Vanitha Suresh edged out Parth Mane from Maharashtra by a single point to win the boys' 10m Air Rifle title.

Ultimately, Harsabardhan Sahu's remarkable third lift in the clean and jerk, which netted him two National Youth Records in one go, was undoubtedly the highlight of the day—and perhaps the Khelo India Youth Games 2025 Bihar to this point.