Guwahati: Manipur won its first gold medal at the 38th National Games after Sarungbam Athouba Meitei registered a remarkable win in the men’s individual triathlon event on Sunday.
Telheiba Soram added to Manipur’s tally by winning the silver medal, while Maharashtra’s Parth Sachin Mirage earned the bronze medal.
Athouba completed the endurance race—a combination of swimming, cycling, and running—in an impressive time of 1:01:01. His timings were 9:55 for swimming, 31:53 for cycling, and 18:09 for running.
He finished second in swimming, first in cycling, and fourth in running.
He said, “I’m happy, but I don’t know why I’m not completely happy. I just want to keep practicing and improving.”
Telheiba followed, clocking in at 1:02:10, while Maharashtra’s Parth Sachin Mirage claimed the bronze with a time of 1:02:14.
Manipur’s male triathlon contingent includes Sarungbam Athouba Meitei from Imphal West, alongside Telheiba Soram and Bijenkumar Laikhuram from Imphal East.
Representing the state, female athletes Nongmaithem Nelshi Devi, Swety Nongmaithem, and Maibam Binita Chanu are participating in triathlon and duathlon events. Maibam Binita Chanu will be serving as a reserve athlete.
Athouba and Telheiba will compete in the men’s and mixed relay duathlons, while Nelshi Devi and Sweety will represent the state in women’s triathlon, duathlon, and mixed relay events.
Over 400 athletes from the state will participate in 19 sports disciplines at the ongoing 38th National Games in Uttarakhand.
ALSO READ: 400 athletes from Manipur set to compete in 38th National Games
In the women’s category, Maharashtra dominated with a 1-2 finish as Dolly Devidas Patil secured the gold medal, while state-mate Mansi Vinod Mohite took the silver.
Aadya Singh of Madhya Pradesh claimed the bronze.
Dolly delivered an outstanding performance, clocking a total time of 1:10:03s, which included a swim time of 10:35 minutes, a bike segment of 35:51 minutes, and a run time of 20:37 minutes.
She was the fastest in swimming, third in biking, and second in running, demonstrating her well-rounded abilities.
