Chandigarh's Simran and Sonia Triumph in Women's Ganda Double at Khelo India Beach Games 2026
Exciting Finals at Khelo India Beach Games 2026
New Delhi, January 7: In a thrilling showdown at the Khelo India Beach Games (KIBG) 2026, held at Ghoghla Beach in Diu, Chandigarh's Simran and Sonia stunned local supporters by defeating the home team duo of Anushka Singh and Anshu Kumari in the women's Ganda double final.
Manipur celebrated their first gold medal in the men's category of the same event. The KIBG 2026, organized by the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, is being conducted under the guidance of the Sports Authority of India and various national sports federations, as reported by a media channel.
This year's Khelo India Beach Games features over 1,100 athletes competing across eight sports, including volleyball, soccer, sepaktakraw, kabaddi, pencak silat, open water swimming, mallakhamb, and tug-of-war. Among these, the first six are medal events, with a total of 32 gold medals available.
The host region, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, had initially secured a gold in women's Tunggal and aimed to enhance their medal count in the women's Ganda double. However, Simran, who faced a knee injury during the semifinals, had other plans.
Simran, an employee of Punjab Police and a bronze medalist in Tunggal, partnered with Sonia to clinch victory against Anushka and Anshu with a score of 555-537. In the men's final, Premchandra Yengkhom and Wahengbam Sudhir Meetei triumphed over Tamil Nadu's Bose Raja Guru and Selvakumar with a score of 555-536.
“This was the final, and I had to take the risk for a chance at gold. Five years ago, I underwent surgery for an ACL tear. Today, I had a meniscus injury and had to tape my knee to compete in the final. Thankfully, we secured gold for Chandigarh,” stated Simran, who represented India at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.
After three days of competition, the hosts lead the medal tally with one gold, two silver, and one bronze. Chandigarh, Manipur, and West Bengal have each secured one gold medal.
In the Beach Soccer segment of KIBG 2026, the defending champions Odisha women's team advanced to the semifinals with an impressive 8-4 victory over Arunachal Pradesh in Group A. Meanwhile, Kerala secured their place in the men's semifinals with a commanding 7-0 win against Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
In Beach Sepaktakraw, which commenced on Wednesday, the Manipur women's team guaranteed a semifinal position after defeating Bihar 2-1 and Goa 3-0 in their group matches.
*RESULTS FROM TODAY
-Pencak Silat:
(Women) Ganda double: Gold – Chandigarh; Silver – Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu; Bronze – Delhi, Karnataka
(Men) Ganda: Gold – Manipur; Silver – Tamil Nadu; Bronze – Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Madhya Pradesh
-Beach Kabaddi
(Women): Pool A – Haryana defeated Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 71-5
(Men): Pool A – Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu beat Andhra Pradesh 46-32
-Beach Soccer
(Women) Group A: Odisha defeated Arunachal Pradesh 8-4; Group B: Gujarat defeated Himachal Pradesh 9-0
(Men) Group B: Kerala defeated Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 7-0; Karnataka defeated Himachal Pradesh 7-3
-Beach Sepaktakraw
(Women) Group A: Manipur defeated Bihar 2-1; Nagaland defeated Goa 3-0; Manipur defeated Goa 3-0; Bihar defeated Nagaland 3-0
Group B: Delhi defeated Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 3-0
(Men) Group A: Delhi defeated Rajasthan 3-0; Bihar defeated Nagaland 2-1; Bihar defeated Rajasthan 3-0
Group B: Manipur defeated Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 3-0
-Beach Volleyball (quarterfinals)
(Women): Deepika/Pavithra (TN) defeated Yamini/Rishitha (Tel) 21-6, 21-2; Swathi/Dharshini (TN) defeated Divya/Janvi 21-18, 21-18; Revathi/Swetha (Pdy) defeated Gnanasowendary/Mahalakshmi (Pdy) 21-17, 21-12
(Men): Sawan/Gauns (Goa) defeated Divya Sai/Manikantaraju 22-24, 21-16, 15-12; Poonthamizhan/Abhithan (TN) defeated Sadik/Amardeep Rana (Guj) 21-12, 21-11.