Cycling Star Meenakshi Rohilla Shines at Khelo India University Games
Jaipur witnessed spectacular sporting action as Guru Nanak Dev University's cycling sensation Meenakshi Rohilla concluded her campaign with an impressive haul of four gold medals and one silver at the Khelo India University Games 2025 on Saturday. The 23-year-old athlete from Netaji Subhash National Institute of Sports in Patiala demonstrated exceptional skill and endurance throughout the competition.
Final Day Drama in Cycling Events
On the concluding day of cycling competitions, Meenakshi showcased her tactical brilliance in the women's scratch race. She strategically held back until the penultimate lap before surprising her competitors by taking the inner line to snatch the lead and secure the gold medal with a timing of 28:06.164 seconds.
Later in the day, Meenakshi faced tough competition from Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology's Khoirom Rejiya Devi in the 3km Individual Pursuit. Despite her best efforts, the tired cyclist finished second with a time of 4:14.150 seconds, while Rejiya Devi claimed gold with 4:12.798 seconds.
"I am a bit disappointed that I could not win the fifth gold as this is the event in which I held the national record. I tried to catch up with her in the last few laps, but I have been racing for the last five days while she was relatively fresh and that made the difference," Meenakshi shared after her final race.
Guru Nanak Dev University Tops Medal Tally
The cycling success contributed significantly to Guru Nanak Dev University's overall performance, pushing them to the top of the medal standings with 27 gold, 9 silver, and 10 bronze medals. The university secured two additional gold medals in track cycling and three more in Skeet Shooting on the same day.
Overnight leaders Jain University also have 27 gold and 9 silver medals but trail with one less bronze medal. Lovely Professional University holds the third position with 22 gold medals.
Other notable performances from GNDU included:
- Niya Sebastian winning gold in women's 200m sprint
- Ritesh Kaushik claiming gold in men's 200m sprint
- Rituraj Singh Bundela and Shivani Raikwar securing mixed team skeet shooting gold
Khelo India University Games 2025 Scale and Participation
The fifth edition of KIUG 2025 is being hosted across seven cities in Rajasthan with massive participation from 4,448 athletes representing 222 universities. The games feature 23 medal disciplines and are organized under the aegis of the Sports Authority of India in collaboration with the Rajasthan State Sports Council, hosted by Poornima University.
Beyond cycling, other sports also concluded their competitions on Saturday. In wrestling at Bikaner, Lovely Professional University topped the charts with four gold and three silver medals. Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology achieved a remarkable double by winning both men's and women's rugby titles.
The Fit India Zone at Sawai Man Singh Stadium continued to attract enthusiastic participation, with Rajasthan Sports Minister and Olympian Rajyavardhan Rathore visiting the facility and encouraging participants in various fitness activities.
The Khelo India University Games 2025 has emerged as a significant platform for young athletes to showcase their talent, with universities from across the country competing fiercely for top honors in various sporting disciplines.
