Army Retains Khelo India Winter Games Championship with Stellar Performance
Army Triumphs at Khelo India Winter Games 2026
The Army successfully defended its title at the Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) 2026, securing a total of nine gold medals, with eight of those earned during the Gulmarg segment. Himachal Pradesh finished as the runners-up, clinching four golds on the final day of the event. The closing ceremony, organized by the Jammu & Kashmir Sports Council and overseen by the Sports Authority of India, is set to take place on Thursday at the local Golf Course.
Highlights from Day 3 and Notable Achievements
On the sunny third day of KIWG 2026, both the Army and Himachal Pradesh achieved four gold medals each, while the host state of Jammu & Kashmir celebrated its first gold. Veteran skier Bhavani Thekkada Nanjunda from Karnataka, who previously won three golds in KIWG 2025, topped the podium in the Nordic women's sprint event over 1.5 kilometers. Bhavani has been a participant in all six editions of the Khelo India Winter Games.
Zubaid Ahmad Lone brought joy to Jammu and Kashmir by winning the men's giant slalom in snowboarding, overcoming a tough challenge from the Army's Vivek Rana. Jammu & Kashmir concluded the event with one gold and one silver medal, finishing in 10th place in the overall medal tally.
Armyman Mayank Panwar emerged as the standout performer in the slalom events, securing two gold medals, while the Army dominated the Nordic skiing competitions. In the challenging 15 km Nordic skiing race, Mohammad Ali led an Army sweep, finishing first with a time of 34:21.49 seconds, followed by Padma Namgail and Sunny Singh.
Results from Day 3 (Finals)
Gold Medal Count: Army 4; Himachal Pradesh 4; Jammu & Kashmir 1; Karnataka 1.
Ski Mountaineering Results
(Men's Relay): 1. Army (Tariq Hussain, Rajeshwar Singh, Rovin Singh, Santosh Moktan) - 12:51.05 secs; 2. Jammu & Kashmir (Waseem Akber Sheikh, Tanveer Ahmad Lone, Shahid Ahmad Chaghi, Tanveer Ahmad Dider) - 15:57.03 secs; 3. Ladakh (Sonam Stanzin, Bashar Ahmed, Zahir Abass, Mohammed Hussain) - 16:49.81 secs.
(Women's Relay): 1. Himachal Pradesh (Natasha Mahar, Sakshi Thakur, Saijal Thakur, Tamanna) - 22:03.00 secs; 2. CRPF (Pragatibahen, Preeti, Kajal, Renu) - 25:46.04 secs; 3. Jammu & Kashmir 1 (Yasmeena, Gousia, Rashia, Inayat) - 28:23.99 secs.
(Women's Sprint): 1. Sakshi Thakur (HP) - 4:42.37 secs; 2. Natasha Mahar (HP) - 4:48.03 secs; 3. Stanzin Yangzom (Ladakh) - 5:11.58 secs.
(Men's Sprint): 1. Santosh Moktan (Army) - 2:45.83 secs; 2. Siddhartha Gadekar (Maharashtra) - 2:53.75 secs; 3. Rovin Singh (Army) - 2:57.73 secs.
Alpine Skiing Results
(Men's Giant Slalom): 1. Mayank Panwar (Army) - 44.810 secs; 2. Yogesh Kumar (Himachal Pradesh) - 45.083 secs; 3. Jekmat Rafstan (Army) - 45.305 secs.
Snowboarding Results
(Men's Giant Slalom): 1. Zubair Ahmad Lone (Jammu & Kashmir) - 1:17.424 secs; 2. Vivek Rana (Army) - 1:17.451 secs; 3. Kulwinder Sharma (Army) - 1:18.716 secs.
(Women's Giant Slalom): 1. Preeti Thakur (HP) - 1:40.306 secs; 2. Prakriti Thakur (HP) - 1:53.124 secs; 3. Urmila (Maharashtra) - 1:56.965 secs.
(Women's Slalom): 1. Preeti Thakur (HP) - 1:15.194 secs; 2. Prakriti Thakur (HP) - 1:16.864 secs; 3. Urmila (Maharashtra) - 1:35.174 secs.
Nordic Skiing Results
(Men's 15 km): 1. Mohammad Ali (Army) - 34:21.49 secs; 2. Padma Namgail (Army) - 34:36.74 secs; 3. Sunny Singh (Army) - 35:16.83 secs.
(Women's Sprint 1.5 km): 1. Bhavani Thekkada Nanjunda (Karnataka) - 4:13.91 secs; 2. Renu Danu (CRPF) - 4:26.05 secs; 3. Kusum Rana (ITBP) - 4:26.16 secs.