PANAJI
Goa's young athletes returned a rich haul of 36 medals at the 37th West Zone Junior Athletics Championships 2026, finishing fifth in the overall medal tally as the four-day championship concluded at the Atal Athletics Stadium, Bambolim, on Wednesday.
Goa won six gold, 10 silver and 20 bronze medals, finishing behind Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh in the medal standings. The state also accumulated 80 championship points to finish fifth in the points table.
Maharashtra topped the points standings with 215 points, followed by Rajasthan (163), Gujarat (144) and Chhattisgarh (116).
Goa's medals came across a broad range of disciplines, including sprints, middle-distance races, hurdles, jumps, throws, relays, triathlon and pentathlon.
The opening day produced 13 medals for Goa, including three gold, four silver and six bronze. Chandan Ghosh won bronze in both the 100m and 200m, while Dhriti Madkaikar won gold in the Under-14 Girls Triathlon. Sonu Kumar claimed gold in the Under-20 Boys 5000m, with teammate Sushant Gaonkar taking silver.
Rasika Patil won silver in the Under-20 Girls Javelin Throw, while Xanelle Lacerda took gold and Alana Da Gama bronze in the Under-18 Girls High Jump.
In the Under-16 events, Neeve Naik won silver and Shyla Naik bronze in the Girls 80m Hurdles. Archi Katkar claimed bronze in the Girls 60m, while Samarth Negui won gold and David Godinoh silver in the Boys 60m.
Goa also secured bronze in the Under-18 Boys Medley Relay, Under-18 Girls Medley Relay and Under-20 4x100m Mixed Relay.
The second day brought another 15 medals, comprising two gold, six silver and seven bronze. Vinit Khandekar won silver in the Under-20 Boys Hammer Throw, while Rushala Gavander and Rasika Patil took bronze in the Under-20 Women's 1500m and Women's Hammer Throw respectively.
Rohaan Khan won bronze in the Under-20 Men's Long Jump, while Riddhi Sawant took silver and Yukta Salkar bronze in the Women's 100m Hurdles. Saisha Gawas won bronze in the Under-20 Women's Triple Jump and Sherin Vargish bronze in the Women's 400m. Cindrella Pawar claimed silver in the Under-18 Women's 400m.
Chrisel Soares won bronze in the Under-14 Girls Kids Javelin, while Sakshi Naik and Anora Gracies produced a gold-silver finish for Goa in the Under-16 Girls 600m. Raviranjan Sharma added silver in the Under-16 Boys Long Jump.
Archi Katkar won gold in the Under-16 Girls Pentathlon, with Shyla Naik taking silver.
The final day added seven medals, including one gold and six bronze. Rahul Bishnoi won bronze in the Under-20 Men's 3000m, while Disha Velip took bronze in the Women's 3000m.
Rohaan Khan added another bronze in the Under-20 Men's High Jump and Riddhi Sawant won bronze in the Under-20 Women's 400m Hurdles. Chandan Ghosh secured another bronze in the Under-18 Boys 200m.
Dhriti Madkaikar completed her medal-winning campaign with gold in the Under-14 Girls Triathlon C, while Goa's Under-20 Boys 4x400m Relay team won bronze.
Under the championship scoring system, a gold medal carried five points, a silver three and a bronze one. Goa's six gold, 10 silver and 20 bronze medals translated into 80 championship points.
The performances of athletes including Chandan Ghosh, Dhriti Madkaikar, Rasika Patil, Rohaan Khan, Riddhi Sawant, Archi Katkar and Shyla Naik highlighted Goa's depth across age groups and disciplines at the championship, held from September 27 to 30.
