New Delhi [India], January 16 (ANI): In high-octane finals, defending champions - Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) and Maharashtra - clinched titles in men's and women's categories respectively at 58th Senior National Kho Kho Championship in Kazipet. While Railways (Men) registered victory for the second time in a row, Maharashtra (Women) clinched the title for the fifth consecutive time, as per a release.

In the Women's category, Maharashtra defeated Odisha by a slim margin of one point in a tightly contested 23-22 match. While in the Men's category, Railways triumphed over Maharashtra in a thrilling 26-21 final with several nail-biting moments.

Both Railways (Men) and Maharashtra (Women) had won the 57th Senior National Kho Kho Championship held at Puri, Odisha from March 31st to April 4, 2025.

Interestingly, both Odisha and Maharashtra won silver in the women's and men's category for the second time.

In the women's final, Maharashtra did an excellent defense with Sandhya Survase holding on to the mat for 2:30 minutes while Kho Kho World Cup Captain Priyanka Ingle held her ground for 2:00 minutes. Ingle was also outstanding in the attack scoring 10 points in total. Archana Pradhan of Odisha, did excellent defensive manoeuvres in the final match.

In the Men's final, Pratik Waikar of Maharashtra stayed on the mat for 1.55 second giving an excellent defense while Abhinandan Patil of Railways was outstanding in his attack.

In the Championship, Pratik Waikar of Maharashtra was awarded best defender in the men's category, while Archana Pradhan of Odisha bagged the title in women's category. Abhinandan Patil of Railways was adjudged best attacker in the men's category while Priyanka Ingle of Maharashtra best attacker in women's.

Ramji Kashyap of Indian Railways was honoured with prestigious Ekalavya Award while Sandhya Survase of Odisha was felicitated with Rani Laxmi Award. They both were also honoured with Best All-Rounder in their respective categories.

Sudhanshu Mittal, President, Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) said, 'The 58th Senior National Kho Kho Championship in Telangana sets a new milestone for senior nationals. Right from organisation to participation, every aspect was outstanding. The level of energy and excitement was incredible and Kho Kho as a modern sport offers high-voltage entertainment to the audience,' as quoted from a release.

'With such a large participation of teams from various states, UTs and Institutions, the senior national championship was really dynamic and representative. Matches were electrifying and I congratulate all the teams, players & officials for participating in the Championship,' said Upkar Singh Virk, General Secretary, KKFI.

MS Tyagi, Chairman, Organisation & Administration, KKFI, congratulated the winners and said that healthy participation from teams is testimony to the growing stature of Kho Kho.

Janga Raghava Reddy, President, Telangana Kho Kho Association, said, 'It has been an honour to take the mantle of hosting the 58th Senior National Kho Kho Championship. It has been a monumental effort and it is a happy occasion to see the sport thrive in Telangana.'

The 58th Senior National Kho Kho championship from January 11 to January 15, has seen impressive performances from teams across the country, with Kolhapur securing third place in the men's category and Airports Authority of India (AAI) ending third in the women's category repeating their performances from the last senior nationals. (ANI)