Gujarat dominates national Mt. Girnar climbing contest

Girnar - Junagadh(Saurastra) Mount Climbing Contest :-

The first ever national Mt. Girnar contest has participants from Gujarat emerge best. Three of the four winners are from Gujarat. The competition was the national level extension of the event that began in 1971 as a local event. Mount Girnar is Gujarat's tallest peak.

Kamlesh Baghbel, a 25-year-old athlete from Chhattisgarh was the only outside participant to win in the competition. She came first in the women senior category.

Baghbel clocked 34 minutes and 48 seconds to climb the 3,600-foot-high mountain, and topped the women's category, winning a cash prize of Rs.50,000 .

Bhiku Rathod of Talala in Junagadh won the first place in the male (senior) category took 57 minutes and 12 seconds to climb 11,000 steps from foothills to the Ambaji temple at the peak and then return at the base.

In the junior category Karashan Khadivadra of Jamjodhpur got first place in the male category and Poonam Solanki of Una got first place in the women category.

The contest was held in two categories juniors and seniors (men and women) with 89 men and 62 women at the starting line at 6 a.m. Out of them, only 102 could complete the full course.

The first place in men's category was won by Bhikhu R. Rathod, who The Gujarat government had announced total cash prizes of Rs.500,000 for the event.

The event was first started by Saurashtra-based Gujarati daily Phoolchaab in 1971. Ten years later, the state government took over its organisation.