Khade, Mishra adjudged best athletes in National Games

Ranchi, Feb 26 (PTI) Swimmers Virdhawal Khade and RichaMishra were adjudged Best male and female athletes whileServices Sports Control Board (SSCB), who topped the chartswith 162 medals including 70 gold, were given the RajaBhalendra Trophy for Champions team in the 34th National Gamesthat concluded here today.

A special award of Best State was also given to Manipurwho finished second with a haul of 48 gold, 37 silver and 33bronze medals.

Coming back from a doping controversy ahead of lastyear''s Commonwealth Games, Richa Mishra showed tremendousresilience as she competed in all the 17 individual swimmingcompetitions, winning 11 of them while finishing second infour and third in one.

Richa came very close to break Nisha Millet''s feat of 11gold medals in Manipur Games (1999) but in the end she had tobe content with an equal number of titles.

Her 11 gold medals effort catapulted Delhi to a sixthplace finish with 32 gold, 26 silver and 41 bronze medals.

Poster boy of Indian swimming, Virdhawal Khade, was notbehind as he grabbed eight gold medals, all of them with Gamesrecord timings as he hauled 16 medals, including two silverand two bronze that helped Maharashtra''s cause immensely.

Maharashtra finished with 41 gold, 44 silver and 47bronze medals at the foruth place.