Around 162 swimmers from across the state took part in the two-day event held at Biju Patnaik Swimming Pool Complex in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph pictures

Bhubaneswar, June 12: The 53rd State Swimming Championship saw stiff competition among participants from across the state. The two-day event was held at Biju Patnaik Swimming Pool Complex in Kalinga Stadium.

Around 162 swimmers took part in the championship that began on June 11. The swimmers were judged on the basis of their proficiency of different strokes — freestyle, backstroke, butterfly and individual medley.

The competition was divided into four categories based on the contestants’ age, nine being the minimum participating age. The participants were from districts such as Cuttack, Sambalpur, Jagatsinghpur, Dhenkanal, Khurda and Sundargarh. However, the swimmers from Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur proved their mettle winning the maximum number of gold medals.

The freestyle boys’ round could have ended up in a tie between Sambalpuri boys Dibya Lochan Hati and Ruben Bilung, just when Hati in the last 0.25 milliseconds snatched the winner’s crown from Bilung. It was a tough day for Bilung, who again lost to Rusabha Suna by a fraction of second in the men’s 400-metre freestyle.

The first-day also saw a tough contest between the junior and sub-junior swimming contenders. In the individual medley round held on Monday, Sambalpur’s Niharika Patel and Bhubaneswar’s Chintan Naik won the 200-metre individual medley for girls’ and boys’, respectively.

Patel also won the 50-metre butterfly. She stole the limelight by becoming the proud possessor of six gold medals after winning almost all the women’s category events on Day One.

“It was a thrilling experience for me. I had worked very hard for the state championship and I am glad it helped me bag so many titles,” she said.

Sambalpur’s Gobinda Seth won the 50-metre breaststroke. In the 50-metre women’s freestyle, it was a crucial 0.21-milliseconds that made all the difference. A tough call for the judges as well, but at the end it was Bhubaneswar’s Anju Paradia who emerged the winner beating another Bhubaneswar swimmer Ukti Jagdev. There was not a single dull moment for the audience, who relished every minute of the two-day contest.

“It was a tough competition. Even the viewers, on many occasions, found it difficult to understand who the winner was as the time gap between the competitors was very narrow. I think there should be more such events to encourage the swimmers from the state,” said Haraprasad Gosain, a viewer.