Gulmarg (J&K), February 23 – The Indian Army made a strong start to the Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) 2026 in Gulmarg, winning three of the five gold medals on the first day of competition on Monday. The CRPF and Himachal Pradesh also secured gold medals on Monday.
The competition was not dominated by the favorites, as experienced skiers like Bhavani Thekkada Nanjunda of Karnataka and Aanchal Thakur of Himachal Pradesh were outperformed by younger skiers.
Young Jiah Aryan, just 17 years old and one of India's most promising Alpine skiers from Karnataka, won a bronze medal in her second Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG). Jiah competed against experienced skiers like Aanchal and Sandhya Thakur, who have represented India at the Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, last February. Sandhya Thakur of Himachal Pradesh beat Aanchal in a close race on the Kongdoori slopes.
Kajal Kumari Rai of the CRPF won the gold medal in the women's 15km Nordic skiing (cross-country) at the Gulmarg Golf Course. Kajal's victory over Bhavani was a stunning achievement. Kajal, who was born in Meghalaya, dedicated her gold medal to her father, who passed away last year. Renu Danu of the CRPF won the silver. Bhavani won three gold medals in the 2025 KIWG.
Sunny Singh of the Army won the first gold medal in the men's sprint in Nordic skiing. Sunny has consistently won medals for the Army at the KIWGs, and on Monday, the Kathua skier, who trained at the High Altitude Warfare School in Gulmarg, led an Army 1-2-3 in the opening event before the inauguration ceremony took place on the Golf Course.
During the inauguration ceremony, Jammu and Kashmir's Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said that this edition of the Khelo India Winter Games has been like a "relay race" since the Winter Olympics ended in Italy on Sunday and the KIWG events began in Gulmarg on Monday. "These Games are a classic example of national integration and showcase the power of sports," he said.
Sinha also encouraged the athletes, saying, "Our athletes can draw inspiration from Olympic legends like American Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin and Indian athletes like Olympian Arif Khan (of J&K) and Aanchal Thakur (of Himachal Pradesh). This edition is taking place after the Winter Olympics, and it provides a great platform to showcase technical skills in challenging natural conditions." Sinha added that "The KIWG is a test of courage and character." Shiffrin is a three-time Olympic gold medallist.
Chief Minister of J&K, Omar Abdullah, urged the athletes to perform even better. "We want another Arif Khan to emerge here. We have already held six editions of the Khelo India Winter Games. Now, it's time to focus on winning medals at the Asian level. We need to create the necessary infrastructure to make Gulmarg an all-weather international ski destination," Abdullah said.
Gulmarg has been unusually warm this week, with the sun shining brightly and the snow melting. Abdullah proposed the idea of "artificial snow generation" to combat global warming, which has been impacting winter sports worldwide. "Gulmarg's economy is closely linked to snow and tourism. We cannot ignore climate change and must create infrastructure where we are not entirely dependent on natural snow," Abdullah stated.
Results on Day 1 (all finals):
NORDIC SKIING
Men (Sprint, 1.5 km): 1. Sunny Singh (Army) 3:06.83 seconds, 2. Shubam Parihar (Army) 3:07.35 seconds, 3. Manjeet (Army) 3:08.73 seconds
Women (15 km): 1. Kajal Kumari Rai (CRPF) 52:08.29 seconds, 2. Renu Danu (CRPF) 53:10.81 seconds, 3. Bhavani Thekkada Nanjunda (Karnataka) 53:20.44 seconds
SNOWBOARDING
(Men- Slalom) 1. Vivek Rana (Army) 01.01.439 seconds, 2. Kulvinder Sharma (Army) 01.02.854 seconds, 3. Vikar Ahmad Lone (J&K) 01.03.174 seconds
ALPINE GIANT SLALOM
(Men): 1. Mayank Panwar (Army) 01.06.479 seconds, 2. Baqir Hussain (Army) 01.07.194 seconds, 3. Devendra Gurung (Army) 01.09.473 seconds.
(Women) 1. Sandhya Thakur (Himachal Pradesh) 01.23.285 seconds, 2. Aanchal Thakur (HP) 01.23.985 seconds, 3. Jiah Aryan (Karnataka) 01.31.064 seconds.
