KOCHI: There was no nervous last gasp action this time as Mar Basil HSS, Kothamangalam, led hosts Ernakulam to their eighth successive overall title in the 55th Kerala State Schools Athletics Championship that concluded at the Maharaja’s College Stadium here on Sunday.Mar Basil bagged 150 points to leave the contenders far behind in the race for the champion school honour. Mar Basil athletes ran, jumped, threw and walked their way to 18 gold, 17 silver and 9 bronze medals.Kalladi High School, Kumaramputhur, Palakkad, took second spot with 80 points, including 11 gold, 7 silver and 4 bronze medals. Reigning champions St George’s HSS, also from Kothamangalam, finished third with 71 points (4:13:12).In the previous edition held in Thiruvananthapuram, Mar Basil had lost the crown by the narrowest of margins - a mere half-a-point - as St George tallied 131.5 points to Mar Basil’s 131. Meanwhile, Ernakulam, hosting the state schools meet after a seven-year gap, maintained their supremacy beating back a stiff challenge from Palakkad, with an improved performance on the final day to emerge the leading district. The champions claimed 28 gold, 32 silver and 25 bronze medals to log 278 points. Palakkad, having given the hosts a big fright, settled for the second spot with 232 points (26:24:11).Thirteen new meet records were created in the four-day meet, with junior high jumper Sreenith Mohan, of Sree Krishna HS, Guruvayur, setting a new national schools record and sprinter Jijin Vijayan, of Mar Basil, equalling the national mark in the senior 100 m.
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