Kerala champions, Tamil Nadu second

In all, the Tamil Nadu team won 27 gold medals, which was the highest by any State team in the championship this year. However, Kerala won more silver and bronze medals to increase their overall score and win the championship. Among boys Haryana emerged champions with 273 points, followed by Tamil Nadu with 165 points. In the girls’ category, Kerala emerged overall champions with 268 points, followed by Tamil Nadu with 248.5 points. Tamil Nadu won seven gold medals on the final day, including consecutive wins in the last three events. This included a couple of heroic performances by a couple of athletes. However the team lost the chance of winning the gold in the 400 meters hurdles Under 18 boys and the 100 meters Under 18 boys hurdles as a prospective athlete stumbled and fell in the first event and had a foul start in the second event. Cash prizes of Rs 10,000, Rs.7,000 and Rs.5,000 were given to the Tamil Nadu athletes who won the gold, silver and bronze.