The state-level competitions of Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan began across six districts on Saturday, with Ludhiana hosting action-packed cycling and baseball events on Saturday as athletes from across Punjab battled for podium glory under the state sports department and the district administration.
The cycling competitions were held at the velodrome of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), while baseball matches took place at Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Gill, with participants from Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala, and Fazilka claiming early honors.
In the under-21 men’s 1-km time trial, Birpratap Singh of Gurdaspur secured first place, followed by Arshdeep Singh of Amritsar in second and Kunwarpreet Singh of Ludhiana in third. In the under-21 women’s event, Japnoor Kaur of Amritsar finished first, Taranveer Kaur of Ludhiana came second, and Prabhjot Kaur secured third place.
The 21-30 men’s 1-km time trial saw Tanveer Singh of Amritsar take the top spot, while Husanpreet Singh and Jashanpreet Singh, both from Patiala, finished second and third, respectively. In the women’s 21-30 category, Ludhiana’s Vidhi Tejpal won gold, followed by Sandeep Kaur of Patiala and Sanju Devi of Fazilka.
Punjab Sports Welfare Board member Sonia Alag attended the cycling events at PAU and encouraged the participants, alongside District Sports Officer Mandeep Kaushal, athletics coach Sanjeev Sharma, cycling coaches Satwinder Singh and Sahil, Khelo India cycling coach Mohit Kumar, and coach Sukhpal Kaur.
{{/usCountry}}Punjab Sports Welfare Board member Sonia Alag attended the cycling events at PAU and encouraged the participants, alongside District Sports Officer Mandeep Kaushal, athletics coach Sanjeev Sharma, cycling coaches Satwinder Singh and Sahil, Khelo India cycling coach Mohit Kumar, and coach Sukhpal Kaur.
{{/usCountry}}At the baseball venue, Kaushal motivated players to stay away from drugs and embrace sports. Punjab Baseball Association president Sukhdev Singh Aulakh, association secretary Harbir Singh Gill, athletics coach Sanjeev Sharma, baseball coach Jatinder Kumar, and technical officials from various districts attended the opening-day matches.
In the under-14 girls’ baseball category, Sri Muktsar Sahib defeated Malerkotla 1-0, Patiala beat Fazilka 2-1, and Sangrur defeated Jalandhar 2-0. Ludhiana registered a 3-1 victory over Amritsar, while Ferozepur edged past Patiala 1-0. Sri Muktsar Sahib also recorded a commanding 10-0 win over Moga.
In the under-17 girls’ category, SAS Nagar defeated Malerkotla 2-0, while Sri Muktsar Sahib edged past Amritsar 3-2. Bathinda beat Jalandhar 4-1, and Patiala secured a 3-1 victory over Fazilka.