Himalaya Harbinger, Rudrapur Bureau
Dehradun, January 31: Haryana men’s and Odisha women’s Rugby Sevens teams won gold medals for the fourth time consecutively at 38th National Games held in Ganga Athletics Stadium in the Maharana Pratap Sports College here today. Haryana beat Maharashtra 22-7 in the men’s final while Odisha defeated Bihar 29-5 In the women’s final.
Wearing the confidence of a champion team, Haryana dominated the men’s gold medal from the word go. Maharashtra men tried gamely to challenge the most dominant team on the national circuit, leveling scores at 7-7 but Haryana stepped up the pressure to beat Maharashtra in the second-half by 15-0, hence winning the game by 22-7.
Odisha women’s squad posted its most authoritative win in the final, surpassing the 22-0 victory over Maharashtra in 2022 in Ahmedabad. Bihar, which had kept Odisha down to 12-7 in the final in Goa, was unable to make an impression on the most formidable women’s team in the country until rather late in the match.
Odisha, reeling from the defeat by Maharashtra in the semifinals, was slow off the blocks in the men’s bronze medal play off against West Bengal. It was not until it had conceded two tries that Odisha found its rhythm. From 0-10, it stepped on the pedal to open up a 26-10 lead, giving West Bengal no chance of breaching its defence.
In the women’s bronze medal play off, Delhi trailed Maharashtra for the longest time after conceding a try in the opening minute. It managed to swing the pendulum the other way with a great effort late in the first half and early in the second. Maharashtra broke Delhi’s resolve and heart in the final three minutes, thus walking away with the medal with a 17-10 victory.
