Khelo India Winter Games 2025: Tenzin Dolma - mother of an 18-year-old girl - shines on challenging Day 2; Siddharth Gadekar, Zubair Ahmad Lone clinch gold

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Gulmarg (J&K), Mar 10: The second leg of the Khelo India Winter Games 2025 witnessed an action-packed Day 2 at the picturesque Kangdoori slopes in Gulmarg, where Himachal Pradesh's Tenzin Dolma, Maharashtra's Siddharth Gadekar, and Jammu & Kashmir's Zubair Ahmad Lone stole the limelight by clinching gold medals in their respective events.

Meanwhile, defending champions Indian Army continued their dominant run, adding four more medals (2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze) to their tally. They now sit atop the medal standings with 4 gold, 4 silver, and 5 bronze medals. UT of Ladakh remains in second place with seven medals, while Maharashtra holds the third position with 3 gold, 5 silver, and 4 bronze medals.

Tenzin Dolma's Inspirational Triumph

Despite the challenging conditions caused by heavy snowfall, 40-year-old Tenzin Dolma from Manali showcased remarkable endurance to secure her first-ever Khelo India Winter Games medal. She clocked an impressive time of 13:07.41 to clinch gold in the women's vertical ski mountaineering event. Her fellow Himachal Pradesh athlete Natasha Mahar (13:39.39) secured silver, while Uttarakhand's Menka Gunjiyal (14:16.23) bagged bronze.

Speaking to myKhel after her victory, Dolma - who picked up the sport at a very late stage in her life - said, "This is my first time in Gulmarg, and winning my first medal in Khelo India Winter Games is a proud moment for me. Being an ultra-trail runner helped me in today's vertical ski-mountaineering event. I started sports late due to family responsibilities, but age is just a number. Women should never give up on their dreams."

Siddharth Gadekar's Dream Run

Maharashtra's only competitor in the men's vertical ski-mountaineering event, Siddharth Gadekar, improved upon his silver from the sprint event to claim gold. The Pune-based athlete was ecstatic about his achievement and expressed his delight.

"I am on cloud nine! Last year, I was just a spectator, and today I am a champion. Hard work has paid off, but I know there's still a long way to go. I have been training in J&K for months, and I can't wait to return to Maharashtra and enjoy my favorite local delicacies," he shared.

Zubair Ahmad Lone's Redemption

Jammu & Kashmir's Zubair Ahmad Lone, one of India's top snowboarders, redeemed himself after a silver finish on Day 1 by clinching gold in the men's giant slalom snowboarding event. The Army's Kulvinder Sharma and Karan Sharma took silver and bronze, respectively.

Lone, who hails from Tangmarg, expressed his joy, saying, "Yesterday, my father and friends were disappointed with my silver medal. They wanted gold, and I am glad I delivered today." The 27-year-old has trained in Colorado Springs and Canada and has represented India in multiple European competitions. However, he still manages his expenses independently and hopes for more financial support to continue competing on the global stage.

Indian Army and ITBP Dominate Nordic Skiing

The Indian Army secured a clean sweep in the men's sprint event in Nordic skiing, with Manjeet (4:21.14) winning gold, followed by Shubham Parihar (4:22.93) and Sunny Singh (4:30.94).

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) dominated the women's 10km event, as Kusum Rana claimed gold after securing bronze in the 5km race the previous day. Selma Soreng and Anjana Devi completed an ITBP podium sweep with silver and bronze, respectively.

Results - Day 2

Alpine Skiing

Men's Giant Slalom: Gold - Sunil Kumar (Army), Silver - Atul Bhat (ITBP), Bronze - Yogesh Kumar (Himachal Pradesh)

Women's Giant Slalom: Gold - Anchal Thakur (Himachal Pradesh), Silver - Tanuja Thakur (Himachal Pradesh), Bronze - Suhani Thakur (Himachal Pradesh)

Nordic Skiing

Men's Sprint: Gold - Manjeet (Army), Silver - Shubham Parihar (Army), Bronze - Sunny Singh (Army)

Women's 10km: Gold - Kusum Rana (ITBP), Silver - Selma Soreng (ITBP), Bronze - Anjana Devi (ITBP)

Ski Mountaineering

Men's Vertical: Gold - Siddharth Gadekar (Maharashtra), Silver - Shardul Thapliyal (Uttarakhand), Bronze - Himanshu Singh (Uttarakhand)

Women's Vertical: Gold - Tenzin Dolma (Himachal Pradesh), Silver - Natasha Mahar (Himachal Pradesh), Bronze - Menka Gunjiyal (Uttarakhand)

Snowboarding

Men's Giant Slalom: Gold - Zubair Ahmad Lone (Jammu & Kashmir), Silver - Mehraj-ud-Din (Jammu & Kashmir), Bronze - Pankaj Thakur (Himachal Pradesh)

Day 3 Schedule

Alpine Skiing: Women's Slalom

Nordic Skiing: Men's 15km, Women's Sprint

Ski Mountaineering: Men's Relay

Snowboarding: Women's Slalom