The final day of athletics at the Khelo India University Games (KIUG) Rajasthan 2025 witnessed a spectacular display of power and speed, with athletes from the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) leading a record-breaking spree at Jaipur's Sawai Man Singh Stadium on Thursday.
Record-Breaking Feats in Jaipur
Samardeep Singh Gill, the dominant force in Indian shot put, once again raised the bar. The 24-year-old, who is pursuing a Master of Physical Education at KIIT, hurled the iron ball to a distance of 19.42 metres on his second attempt. This remarkable throw not only secured him the gold medal but also improved his own All India University (AIU) record. His closest competitor, Aniket from Guru Kashi University, managed a best of 18.08m. Remarkably, Samardeep achieved this feat while nursing an ankle injury, showcasing the consistency that has seen him beat Asian Games champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor three times this year and regularly cross the 19-metre mark.
Not to be outdone, his teammate Isha Chander Prakash carved her name into the KIUG history books in the women's heptathlon. Building on a strong lead from the first day, Isha compiled a winning total of 4857 points, demolishing the previous meet record held by Sonu Kumari of Lovely Professional University by a massive 109-point margin.
Relay Glory and Chandigarh University's Dominance
The athletics action concluded on a thrilling note as the KIIT men's 4x100m relay team, anchored by Olympian and national record holder Animesh Kujur, blazed to a new meet record. The quartet stopped the clock at 40.09 seconds, leaving the silver-medal-winning team from Mahatma Gandhi University, who equalled the old record of 40.76s, in their wake.
These three new records brought the total number of athletics records broken over the four-day competition to an impressive 12. Meanwhile, away from the track in Udaipur, Chandigarh University solidified its position at the top of the overall medals table. The university's canoe and kayaking squad swept seven gold medals on the final day of action at Fateh Sagar Lake, ending the discipline with a staggering haul of 23 gold, one silver, and one bronze medal.
With just one day remaining in the multi-sport extravaganza, Chandigarh University has extended its lead, boasting 41 gold medals in total. The fifth edition of the Games has seen a massive participation of 4448 athletes from 222 universities competing across 23 sports, hosted across seven cities in Rajasthan under the aegis of the Sports Authority of India.
Other Key Results from the Final Day
In other events, the University of Calicut emerged victorious in a tense men's football final at Poornima University, defeating Guru Nanak Dev University 5-4 in a penalty shootout after a goalless draw in regulation time.
Selected Athletics Results:
Women's 800m: Amandeep Kaur (Panjab University) took gold with a time of 2:10.72s.
Men's 3000m Steeplechase: Nagaraj Divate (Karnatak University) won in 9:52.93s.
Women's Pole Vault: Nitika Akare (LPU) cleared 3.60m for first place.
Men's Javelin Throw: Shashank Patil (Rani Channamma University) claimed gold with a throw of 71.88m.
The successful hosting of the Games, a collaboration between the Sports Authority of India, the Rajasthan State Sports Council, and Poornima University, has highlighted the rising standard of university-level sport in India, with records tumbling and new champions being crowned.
