Excelsior Sports Correspondent
LEH, Jan 27: The Union Territory of Ladakh finished on top in first chapter of Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) 2025, held at NDS Stadium in Leh, today.
Ladakh secured a total of 7 medals, including four gold, while Tamil Nadu finished second with 5 medals, 3 of them gold. Maharashtra, despite claiming the most medals (10), only bagged two gold, finishing third. Ladakh’s stellar performance was capped with victories in both mixed relay and women’s ice hockey. The second phase of KIWG 2025 will be held in Gulmarg from February 22-25.
The most exciting moment came in the men’s ice hockey final, where the Indian Army defeated ITBP by 2-1 to retain their KIWG title. The match, which saw no goals in the first two periods, came alive in the final period with Army’s Rigzin Norboo scoring first place. ITBP equalized through an unmarked Norboo, but Army’s Padma Norboo sealed the victory with a goal in the dying seconds. Army coach Rinchen Tundup expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance, especially given the limited practice time between matches.
In women’s ice hockey, Ladakh triumphed over ITBP by 4-0, avenging last year’s final loss to the same team. Ladakh’s Padma Chorol expressed her joy, thanking the coach and the Khelo India administration for bringing the event to Ladakh. Himachal Pradesh won the bronze in women’s ice hockey.
Ladakh’s success also extended to the ice skating arena, with the mixed relay team winning gold. The quartet of Stanzin Jampal, Skarma Tsultim, Mohammed Saquaf Raza, and Padma Angmo clocked 3:02.19 seconds, beating Maharashtra (3:03.78) and Telangana (3:04.85), who won silver and bronze respectively.
In the women’s 500m long track skating event, Tamil Nadu’s Yashashree clinched the gold with a time of 58.00 seconds. Riya Vilas Gayakwad of Maharashtra took silver (1:04.31 seconds), while Srija S Rao of Karnataka earned bronze (1:04.93 seconds).
Overall, Ladakh led with 4 gold 2 silvers, and 1 bronze, with Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra following closely behind.
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