From Karnataka’s Coffee Hills to Nordic Royalty in Gulmarg: Bhavani Nanjunda Reigns at KIWG 2026

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Gulmarg (Jammu & Kashmir), Feb 25: In a country where snow is a birthright for some, Bhavani Thekkeda Nanjunda had to borrow her first winter.

She grew up in the coffee-scented hills of Kodagu, Karnataka - where mornings are misty, the soil is red, and snow exists only on television screens. She was 23 the first time she felt ice sting her cheeks. On Tuesday, at 8,700 feet above sea level, that girl from the plantations became the sprint queen of the Khelo India Winter Games 2026.

The 30-year-old clinched gold in the Nordic women's 1.5-km sprint at the snow-covered Gulmarg Golf Course, adding the title to her two earlier bronze medals in the 15-km and 10-km relays this season. For a KIWG veteran who has competed in all six editions, it was a defining moment.

When Bhavani crossed the finish line, lungs burning and skis slicing their final arcs through the Gulmarg snow, it was more than a race won. It was geography defied.

"This Is for My Parents"

Moments after her victory, Bhavani's thoughts travelled far south - back to the coffee estates of Kodagu. "This is for my parents. Though I participate in winter sports, my mom and dad have never seen snow. I hope they will someday come to Gulmarg, see the snow, and see me win gold."

Her father tends to coffee plants. But when winter sport seemed an improbable pursuit for a young woman from Karnataka, he cultivated belief instead. No local ski tracks. No snow culture. No frozen childhood mornings. Just faith - and a daughter willing to chase something distant.

A Pioneer for Indian Nordic Skiing

Bhavani is no stranger to milestones. She became the first Indian woman to win a medal at a Fédération Internationale de Ski et de Snowboard (FIS)-accredited cross-country skiing event, clinching bronze in the 5-km interval start free race at the 2025 FIS South America Cup in Chile.

She has represented India at the 2023 and 2025 Nordic World Championships and remains one of the most consistent performers at the Khelo India Winter Games.

Yet, none of those achievements erase the improbable beginning.

Starting at 23, Dreaming Beyond 30

Bhavani began her sporting journey as a mountaineer in 2014. She later became a certified ski instructor and slowly transitioned into competitive Nordic skiing. Every step forward required navigating financial strain, limited infrastructure, and the simple tyranny of distance.

In Karnataka, there are no ski trails, no natural cross-country tracks.

"I myself had not even seen snow till I was 23. If I could excel despite picking up the sport so late, imagine what someone who starts early can do with proper training, coaching, and facilities."

Her story challenges conventional timelines in winter sport - where many athletes begin as children.

The Institutions That Opened Doors

In Gulmarg, Bhavani found both mentors and mountains willing to teach her. She credits institutions such as the Army's High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS), the Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering (IISM), and the Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports (JIM & WS) for creating pathways for athletes from unlikely geographies.

She also acknowledges the support of Reliance Foundation, which sponsors six girls from across India - including two from Karnataka.

Support, she believes, must expand further. She points to the Jammu & Kashmir government's plan to train 500 youth annually in winter disciplines as a step in the right direction.

"Interest in winter sports is growing. The snow is calling farther south than ever before."

From Cinema Dreams to Asian Games Ambitions

Long before she stood atop a podium in Gulmarg, Bhavani was a girl in Kodagu inspired by the mountains she saw in the Bollywood film Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.

Cinema gave her a glimpse of snowy highlands. Life demanded she climb them.

Next on her horizon: the 2029 Asian Winter Games in Almaty, Kazakhstan - a bigger stage, sharper cold, and steeper stakes.

For now, though, the image that endures is simpler: a coffee farmer and his wife in southern India who have never touched snow - raising a daughter who has learned not just to touch it, but to conquer it.

In Gulmarg's white silence, Bhavani Thekkeda Nanjunda didn't merely win a 1.5-km sprint.

She proved that sometimes, the longest journey in winter sport isn't across snow.

It's from a sunlit plantation in Karnataka to the top of a podium in Kashmir.