Maharashtra, with 228 medals including 80 golds, topped the medal table and took the Raja Bhalindra Singh Trophy for the overall championship in the 37th National Games which ended in Goa on Thursday.
Maharashtra’s triumph ended Services’ reign at the top since the 2007 Games in Guwahati. Services finished second and Haryana was third.
Karnataka swimmer Srihari Nataraj (8 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze) was adjudged the best male athlete of the Games while gymnasts Sanyukta Prasen Kale and Pranati Nayak of Odisha (4 gold, 1 silver each) were named as the best female athletes.
Final medal tally (top 5, read as State, gold, silver, bronze and total): 1. Maharashtra (80, 69, 79 = 228), 2. Services (66, 27, 33 = 126), 3. Haryana (62, 55, 75 = 192), 4. Madhya Pradesh (37, 36, 39 = 112), 5. Kerala (36, 24, 27 = 87).
