Army Retains Khelo India Winter Games Title with Dominant Performance

Army Triumphs at Khelo India Winter Games 2026

In Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir, the Army successfully defended their championship title at the Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) 2026, securing a total of nine gold medals, eight of which were won during the Gulmarg segment. Himachal Pradesh finished as the runner-up, clinching four golds on the final day of the event.

The closing ceremony for KIWG 2026, 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. The first phase of KIWG 2026 occurred in Ladakh from January 20 to 26, according to a statement from SAI Media.

On a bright Day 3 of the games, both the Army and Himachal Pradesh secured four gold medals each, while the host state of Jammu & Kashmir celebrated its first gold. Veteran skier Bhavani Thekkada Nanjunda from Karnataka, who had previously achieved a hat-trick of golds in KIWG 2025, topped the podium in the Nordic women's sprint over 1.5 kilometers. Bhavani has participated 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 Vivek Rana of the Army. J&K concluded KIWG 2026 with one gold and one silver medal, finishing 10th in the overall medal tally.

Mayank Panwar from the Army emerged as the standout performer in the slalom events, earning two gold medals, while the Army dominated the Nordic skiing competitions. In the challenging 15 km Nordic race, Mohammad Ali led an Army sweep, finishing first with a time of 34:21.49 seconds, followed by Padma Namgail and Sunny Singh, who took silver and bronze, respectively.

Three skiers achieved double golds during KIWG 2026: CRPF's Kajal Kumari Rai, Mayank Panwar, and Preeti Thakur from Himachal Pradesh, who excelled in both the slalom and giant slalom snowboarding events.

Day 3 Results (all finals): Gold - Army 4; Himachal Pradesh 4; Jammu & Kashmir 1; Karnataka 1.

*SKI MOUNTAINEERING

(Relay – men): 1. Army (Tariq Hussain, Rajeshwar Singh, Rovin Singh, Santosh Moktan) 12:51.05 secs 2. J&K (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 sec.

(Relay – women): 1. Himachal Pradesh (Natasha Mahar, Sakshi Thakur, Saijal Thakur, Tamanna) 22:03.00 secs 2. CRPF (Pragatibahen, Preeti, Kajal, Renu) 25:46.04 3. J&K 1 (Yasmeena, Gousia, Rashia, Inayat) 28:23.99 secs.

(Sprint – women): 1. Sakshi Thakur (HP) 4:42.37 secs 2. Natasha Mahar (HP) 4:48.03 secs 3. Stanzin Yangzom (Ladakh) 5:11.58 secs.

(Sprint – men): 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

(Giant Slalom – men): 1. Mayank Panwar (Army) 44.810 secs 2. Yogesh Kumar (Himachal Pradesh) 45.083 secs 3. Jekmat Rafstan (Army) 45.305 secs.

*SNOWBOARDING

(Giant slalom – men): 1. Zubair Ahmad Lone (J&K) 1:17.424 secs 2. Vivek Rana (Army) 1:17.451 secs 3. Kulwinder Sharma (Army) 1:18.716 secs.

(Giant Slalom – women): 1. Preeti Thakur (HP) 1:40.306 secs 2. Prakriti Thakur (HP) 1:53.124 3. Urmila (Maharashtra) 1:56.965 secs.

(Slalom – women): 1. Preeti Thakur (HP) 1:15.194 secs 2. Prakriti Thakur (HP) 1:16.864 3. Urmila (Maharashtra) 1:35.174 secs.

*NORDIC SKIING

(Men – 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 – 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.