National Games: Manipur surges to top of medal tally, Bindyarani breaks NR

Karnataka’s 14-year-old swimming sensation, Dhinidhi Desinghu, won her fourth gold at the 38th National Games in Dehradun on Friday.

However, Karnataka could not retain its top spot, with Manipur surging to the lead. The northeastern state’s weightlifters continued to shine, with weightlifter Bindyarani Devi (women's 55kg) breaking a national record. Bindyarani lifted a total of 201kg with 88kg (NR) in snatch and 113kg in Clean and Jerk.

With nine gold medals, including one each from weightlifting and wushu, and a total of 19 medals, Manipur moved to the top. The state also secured 7 silver and 3 bronze medals.

Services jumped two places to claim second spot, just one medal behind Manipur. On Friday, they won nine medals, including five gold, bringing their total to 18 (9 gold, 6 silver, 3 bronze).

Karnataka, meanwhile, dropped two places to fall to third, with a total of 17 medals (9 gold, 4 silver, 4 bronze).

The competition for the top spot remains fierce, with the top three states each having nine gold medals and only one medal separating their overall totals.

Maharashtra, though the state with the most medals overall, remained in fourth place. After winning nine medals on Friday, they now have a total of 32 medals, including 7 gold, 16 silver, and 9 bronze. However, their lower number of golds kept them behind in the rankings.