The top three states - Maharashtra, Haryana and Delhi were engaged in a titanic tussle for honours at the end of the penultimate day of the first Khelo India School Games on Wednesday.

Maharashtra with 24 gold held a slender lead over previous day’s leaders Haryana (23 gold) and hosts Delhi (22 gold) as the Games reached its climax. With one more day left, the race for the honours in terms of gold medals is still wide open as more than 50 golds will be decided on a packed final day. Boxing itself will account for 26 gold medals on the last day.

Advantage Maharashtra

Maharashtra picked up a rich haul of 16 medals, including five gold’s to inch ahead of Haryana in the medals tally on the penultimate day of the first Khelo India School Games.

Maharashtra, who were trailing overnight leaders by three gold medals a day earlier, won both the kho-kho gold medals besides two more in gymnastics and one in weightlifting.

Maharashtra now have 24 gold, 26 silver and 34 bronze for a total of 84 medals, while Haryana added one gold, one silver and one bronze on Wednesday to slip to the second place with 23 gold, 17 silver and 20 bronze for a total of 60 medals. Hosts Delhi, who won three gold medals in gymnastics during the day, have the second highest number of medals at 77. Maharashtra has 83 and is lying third in terms of gold medals. Delhi also has 24 silver and 31 bronze.

Delhi’s haul for the day was three gold medals, four silver and five bronze medals.

Manipur shines 

Karnataka (15 gold, 11 silver and 15 bronze) occupy the fourth spot, while Uttar Pradesh (9 gold, 18 silver and 20 bronze) are fifth and Manipur, who picked up a big haul two gold, two silver and one bronze in the day, are sixth with a total of nine gold, four silver and three bronze medals.

Tamil Nadu (6-11-10) and Punjab, who had three gold in judo today, are now eighth with six gold, two silver and 14 bronze medals. Judo saw Punjab lead the domination among boys, picking up all three gold medals on offer on the day, while the three gold medals in girls section were shared by Gujarat, Manipur and Haryana.

-Inputs from PTI