Chief Minister’s Trophy: Salem surges to second, Chennai sits atop in standings

CHENNAI: The fourth day of the Chief Minister’s Trophy Games saw Salem surging into second place, overtaking Coimbatore, which now sits at third, while Chennai remains firmly in the lead. The day also saw Chennai dominate the gymnastics arena, bagging the highest number of medals in the discipline so far.

Gymnastics took center stage in Chennai, showcasing spectacular athleticism, grace, and strength across the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics (WAG) and Men’s Artistic Gymnastics (MAG) disciplines.

The day featured two WAG events — Floor Exercise and Balance Beam — and two MAG events — Table Vault and Parallel Bars. Chennai led the way, adding significantly to its medal tally with standout performances.

In the WAG Balance Beam (College – Women) event, Chennai’s P Muthamil Selvi displayed remarkable poise and technical finesse to secure the gold medal with an impressive score of 8.75, solidifying her city’s lead in the standings. Erode’s R Poovizhi delivered a commendable routine to take silver with a score of 7.30, while Villupuram’s G Kalaiyarasi earned the bronze with a score of 6.85, showcasing strong representation from across Tamil Nadu.

On the men’s side, the MAG Table Vault (College – Men) event saw a stunning performance by A Dinesh Karthik of Coimbatore, whose explosive vault earned him a gold medal with a top score of 11.70. Chennai’s SJ Aakarsh closely followed with a silver at 11.40, while his teammate E Tharun Raj captured the bronze with a solid effort scoring 10.28.