Snow to Gold: Gulmarg shines, athletes dominate Khelo India Winter Games

Gulmarg, Mar 10: The second day of the Khelo India Winter Games on Monday at Gulmarg saw intense competition as athletes from across the country battled for supremacy in various snow sports. Despite fresh snowfall in the early hours, the event continued as per schedule, with participants showcasing skill and endurance in vertical ski mountaineering, snowboard giant slalom, and Nordic ski sprint.

The perseverance & passion of athletes raised the visual warmth over white snow turf as all the scheduled games were officiated according to the fixture to foster real winter sports spirit.

Hundreds of players coming from across the country battled over the title in different domains of snow sports, including vertical ski mountaineering, snowboard giant slalom, and sprint.

Some undisputed champions of previous Khelo India Winter Games again proved their mettle to lay a solid & strong claim for medals and had been exceptionally successful in their endeavour.

Manoeuvring in the Winter Games at Kangdoori, Siddhartha Gadekar from Pune, Maharashtra, was crowned with a gold medal in the vertical ski mountaineering event for men on Monday, adding to his medal kitty from Sunday.

While celebrating yellow metal, he divulged that consistent endurance training got him the result he wanted. He expressed gratitude to KIWG authorities for the platform & unique opportunity to help athletes display latent potential. Gadekar eyes international sports events and hopes to carry current performance forward to do better in upcoming events. Shardul Thapliyal and Himanshu Singh, both from Himachal Pradesh, clinched silver and bronze in the same event, respectively.

Tenzin Dolma from Himachal Pradesh secured gold in Monday’s vertical ski mountaineering of the women’s category, the first medal for her in KIWGs. As an ultra trail runner, Dolma didn't find the competition challenging since the endurance she had developed over the period showered her with desired rewards.

In the same event, Natasha Mahar from Himachal Pradesh improved from yesterday's performance to win silver, while Manek Gunjiyal of Uttarakhand, who had won gold in women’s snowboarding slalom on Sunday, had tough luck on Monday and had to settle for bronze. Gunjiyal was one of the gold medalists from KIWG-2024.

She knows the slopes of Gulmarg like her home, that is what is the magic of success.

While speaking regarding her perseverance, she said that dry practice & training during the snow period helps her to build stamina, which is essential in a high-altitude field of action.

In the Nordic Ski Sprint, ITBP sent all other participants to cleaners while wresting all three medals in the event. The ITBP players Kulsum Rana, Selma Soreng, & Anjana Devi obtained gold, silver, & bronze, respectively.

The Nordic Ski Sprint for men saw medals raining for the Army as the athletes, including Manjeet, Shubam Parihar, and Sunny Singh, took away gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively, leaving others high & dry amid the snow.

Competing against thirty other participants in the Snowboard Giant Slalom event, Zubair Ahmad Lone from J&K glided the slopes fiercely to clinch the gold medal, while Kulvinder Sharma and Karan Singh of the Army settled with silver and bronze.

Similarly, in the Alpine Giant Slalom Category Women, Himachal Pradesh had a triple whammy to celebrate all three medals, with Anchal Thakur, Tanuja Thakur, and Suhani Thakur taking home gold, silver, and bronze, respectively, amid the huge applause of spectators and supporters.

In the Men's Category of Alpine Giant Slalom, Sunil Kumar from the Army, Atul Bhat from ITBP, and Yogesh Kumar from Himachal Pradesh achieved gold, silver, and bronze, respectively. It would be entertaining to watch which among these teams would be dominating the final medal tally of KIWGs.