Haridwar (Uttarakhand) [India], February 12 : Madhya Pradesh secured a match with Haryana in the women's hockey final at the 38th National Games 2025 at the Vandana Katariya Hockey Stadium in Haridwar on Wednesday.
MP and Maharashtra played out a 1-1 draw at the end of regular time. Aishwarya Dubey (6') and Nilanjali Rai (43') scored off penalty corners for their respective sides on Wednesday. Madhya Pradesh won the match 4-1 in shootout, as per a press release from 38th National Games.
Meanwhile, Haryana defeated Jharkhand 2-1 in the second semi-final match of the women's event. Kanika Siwach opened the scoring for Haryana in the eighth minute and captain Rani converted a penalty corner in the 26th minute. Jharkhand captain Albela Rani Toppo found the back of the net in the 42nd minute.
In the men's event, Karnataka defeated Maharashtra 5-4 in the shootout. The regular time ended in a 2-2 draw. Venkatesh Kenche found the back of the net in the 11th minute and Aditya Lalage scored off a penalty corner in the 12th minute for the winning side. Ganesh Majji (44') and Bharath Mahalingappa Kurtakoti (47') scored a goal each for Maharashtra.
Uttar Pradesh beat Punjab 5-3 in a goal fest in the second semi-final encounter of the men's competition. Sharda Nand Tiwari (9', 27') scored off a couple of penalty corners for UP, while Amir Ali (13'), Ajeet Yadav (22'), and Ketan Kushwaha (57') scored field goals. Om Rajnesh Saini (12') scored a goal and Prabhjot Singh (32', 49') scored a brace for Punjab.
Moving to Tehri, exciting competitions were witnessed on the second day of the kayaking and canoeing events. Players showcased their talent, particularly in the 500-meter categories. The Services team dominated with a flurry of gold medals, while athletes from Uttarakhand and Odisha also put up commendable performances.
In the Women's Canoeing (C-2, 500m) event, the Services duo delivered a stellar performance, clinching the gold medal with a timing of 02:04.233 seconds. Odisha's team secured the silver medal by completing the race in 02:06.466 seconds, while Uttarakhand claimed the bronze with a time of 02:08.149 seconds.
Meanwhile, in the Women's Kayaking (K-2, 500m) category, Uttarakhand's team demonstrated impressive speed, winning the gold medal with a time of 01:56.370 seconds. The Madhya Pradesh team finished in 01:58.037 seconds to take the silver medal, while Odisha secured the bronze with a timing of 01:59.930 seconds.
Whereas, in the Men's Canoeing (C-2, 500m) event, the Services team once again proved their supremacy, completing the race in 01:47.811 seconds to win the gold medal. Odisha's team won silver with a time of 01:50.461 seconds, while Delhi secured the bronze medal by a mere 0.166-second margin, finishing at 01:50.627 seconds.
Furthermore, the Men's Kayaking (K-2, 500m) event also saw Services maintain their dominance, securing the gold medal with a time of 01:36.287 seconds. Uttarakhand's team finished in 01:38.284 seconds to claim silver, while Odisha earned the bronze with a timing of 01:38.897 seconds.
With these enthralling contests in kayaking and canoeing, the competition is set to become even more intense. The final day promises even more exciting encounters for sports enthusiasts.