Karnataka Dominates Khelo India Beach Games 2026 with Swimming Triumphs
Karnataka's Success at Khelo India Beach Games 2026
At the Khelo India Beach Games 2026 held at Ghoghla Beach, Karnataka's Ashmita Chandra and Dhrupad Ramakrishna secured gold medals in the women's and men's 5km Open Water Swimming events, respectively. This achievement propelled Karnataka to the top of the medal standings.
The event, organized by the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, was conducted under the guidance of the Sports Authority of India and various national sports federations. Over 1,100 athletes participated in eight sports, including volleyball, soccer, sepaktakraw, kabaddi, pencak silat, Open Water swimming, mallakhamb, and tug-of-war. The first six sports were medal events, with a total of 32 gold medals awarded. Athletes from 30 states and Union territories competed.
Karnataka Crowned Overall Champions
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Manipur each secured three gold and two silver medals, but the overall standings were determined by the number of bronze medals. Karnataka emerged as the overall champion with three gold medals, all from Open Water swimming, alongside two silver and six bronze medals. Tamil Nadu finished in second place with three gold, two silver, and three bronze medals, while Manipur, the previous edition's winners, took third with three gold, two silver, and two bronze.
Madhya Pradesh claimed fourth place, primarily due to their performance in Pencak Silat, which offered the highest number of gold medals (16) at KIBG 2026. They concluded with three gold, one silver, and one bronze medal, all from this martial art competition.
Final Day Highlights
On the final day at Ghoghla Beach, Manipur aimed to retain their overall title, with both their men's and women's Beach Sepaktakraw teams vying for gold. The women's team succeeded, defeating West Bengal 2-0, while Tamil Nadu's men's team won the final against Manipur 2-1, securing the second position.
Earlier, Ashmita Chandra achieved a remarkable feat by winning the women's 5km Open Water Swimming gold, adding to her women's 10km title from the previous day. She completed the 5km race in 1:35:11, finishing ahead of Maharashtra's Diksha Yadav (1:35:53) and Karnataka's Aasra Sudhir (1:39:14) who took bronze.
Today's Results
Beach Sepaktakraw
Women Trio: Gold - Manipur; Silver - West Bengal; Bronze - Goa, Assam
Men Trio: Gold - Tamil Nadu; Silver - Manipur; Bronze - Nagaland, Assam
Open Water Swimming
Women 5km: Gold - Ashmita Chandra (Kar) 1:35:11; Silver - Diksha Yadav (Mah) 1:35:53; Bronze - Aasra Sudhir (Kar) 1:39:14
Men 5km: Gold - Dhrupad Ramakrishna (Kar) 1:21:33; Silver - Anurag Singh (UP) 1:21:38; Bronze - Prashans HM (Kar) 1:24:34.