Khelo India Winter Games 2026: Army Defend Team Title; Himachal Second, Hosts J&K Finish 10th

Gulmarg (Jammu & Kashmir), Feb 25: The Khelo India Winter Games 2026 concluded its Gulmarg leg on Wednesday (February 25) with the Army successfully defending their team championship title, finishing atop the medal tally with nine gold medals overall - eight of them coming in the Gulmarg edition.

Himachal Pradesh surged on the final day with four gold medals to secure second place, while hosts Jammu & Kashmir finished 10th in the standings with one gold and one silver.

Khelo India Winter Games 2026 Army Defend Team Title Himachal Second Hosts J amp amp K Finish 10th — Left to Right: Padma Namgail, Silver Medalist, Mohd Ali, Gold Medalist, and Sunny Singh, Bronze Medalist, in the Nordic Skiing 15-km. Image: KIWG 2026

The closing ceremony, hosted by the Jammu & Kashmir Sports Council and managed by the Sports Authority of India, will be held on Thursday at the Gulmarg Golf Course. The first leg of KIWG 2026 was staged in Ladakh from January 20 to 26.

Day 3: Army, Himachal Share Gold Rush

On a bright and sunny Day 3, Army and Himachal Pradesh won four gold medals each, underlining their dominance across disciplines.

Army's strength lay in Nordic (cross-country) skiing, where they stamped authority in the gruelling 15 km men's race. Mohammad Ali clocked 34:21.49 seconds to lead a clean Army sweep of the podium, with Padma Namgail (34:36.74 secs) and Sunny Singh (35:16.83 secs) taking silver and bronze respectively.

Mayank Panwar further boosted Army's tally, winning gold in the Alpine Skiing men's Giant Slalom with a timing of 44.810 seconds. Panwar, who earlier clinched a slalom gold, emerged as one of the standout performers of the Games with a double gold haul.

Himachal's Snowboarding Strength

Himachal Pradesh reaffirmed its reputation in snowboarding events. Preeti Thakur claimed double gold, topping both the women's Slalom (1:15.194 secs) and Giant Slalom (1:40.306 secs). In Ski Mountaineering, Himachal's women's relay team - Natasha Mahar, Sakshi Thakur, Saijal Thakur and Tamanna - secured gold with a timing of 22:03.00 seconds.

Sakshi Thakur also triumphed in the women's sprint event in ski mountaineering, clocking 4:42.37 seconds.

Hosts J&K Break Through

Jammu & Kashmir found reason to celebrate as Zubair Ahmad Lone clinched gold in the men's Snowboarding Giant Slalom with a narrow victory (1:17.424 secs), edging Army's Vivek Rana (1:17.451 secs) in a thrilling finish.

The win marked J&K's only gold at KIWG 2026, with the hosts finishing the Games in 10th position overall.

Bhavani's Golden Sprint

Karnataka's Nordic veteran Bhavani Thekkeda Nanjunda once again demonstrated her pedigree by winning gold in the women's 1.5 km Nordic sprint (4:13.91 secs). A regular across all six editions of the Winter Games, Bhavani added the sprint title to her two earlier relay bronzes this season.

Other Notable Performances

In Ski Mountaineering (Men's Relay), Army's quartet of Tariq Hussain, Rajeshwar Singh, Rovin Singh and Santosh Moktan claimed gold in 12:51.05 seconds.

In Snowboarding Women's Giant Slalom, Himachal's Prakriti Thakur and Maharashtra's Urmila secured silver and bronze respectively.

CRPF's Kajal Kumari Rai, Army's Mayank Panwar and Himachal's Preeti Thakur finished the Games with double gold medals - highlighting individual excellence amid team rivalries.

With nine gold medals overall, Army once again asserted supremacy at KIWG 2026. Himachal Pradesh finished a strong second, while the hosts J&K showed promise despite a 10th-place finish.

KIWG 2026 - Day 3 Results (All Finals)

Gold Tally (Day 3): Army - 4 | Himachal Pradesh - 4 | J&K - 1 | Karnataka - 1

SKI MOUNTAINEERING

Relay - Men

Position	Team	Athletes	Timing
1	Army	Tariq Hussain, Rajeshwar Singh, Rovin Singh, Santosh Moktan	12:51.05 secs
2	J&K	Waseem Akber Sheikh, Tanveer Ahmad Lone, Shahid Ahmad Chaghi, Tanveer Ahmad Dider	15:57.03 secs
3	Ladakh	Sonam Stanzin, Bashar Ahmed, Zahir Abass, Mohammed Hussain	16:49.81 secs

Relay - Women

Position	Team	Athletes	Timing
1	Himachal Pradesh	Natasha Mahar, Sakshi Thakur, Saijal Thakur, Tamanna	22:03.00 secs
2	CRPF	Pragatibahen, Preeti, Kajal, Renu	25:46.04 secs
3	J&K 1	Yasmeena, Gousia, Rashia, Inayat	28:23.99 secs

Sprint - Women

Position	Athlete	State/Team	Timing
1	Sakshi Thakur	HP	4:42.37 secs
2	Natasha Mahar	HP	4:48.03 secs
3	Stanzin Yangzom	Ladakh	5:11.58 secs

Sprint - Men

Position	Athlete	State/Team	Timing
1	Santosh Moktan	Army	2:45.83 secs
2	Siddhartha Gadekar	Maharashtra	2:53.75 secs
3	Rovin Singh	Army	2:57.73 secs

ALPINE SKIING

Giant Slalom - Men

Position	Athlete	State/Team	Timing
1	Mayank Panwar	Army	44.810 secs
2	Yogesh Kumar	Himachal Pradesh	45.083 secs
3	Jekmat Rafstan	Army	45.305 secs

SNOWBOARDING

Giant Slalom - Men

Position	Athlete	State/Team	Timing
1	Zubair Ahmad Lone	J&K	1:17.424 secs
2	Vivek Rana	Army	1:17.451 secs
3	Kulwinder Sharma	Army	1:18.716 secs

Giant Slalom - Women

Position	Athlete	State/Team	Timing
1	Preeti Thakur	HP	1:40.306 secs
2	Prakriti Thakur	HP	1:53.124 secs
3	Urmila	Maharashtra	1:56.965 secs

Slalom - Women

Position	Athlete	State/Team	Timing
1	Preeti Thakur	HP	1:15.194 secs
2	Prakriti Thakur	HP	1:16.864 secs
3	Urmila	Maharashtra	1:35.174 secs

NORDIC SKIING

Men - 15 km

Position	Athlete	State/Team	Timing
1	Mohammad Ali	Army	34:21.49 secs
2	Padma Namgail	Army	34:36.74 secs
3	Sunny Singh	Army	35:16.83 secs

Women - Sprint 1.5 km

Position	Athlete	State/Team	Timing
1	Bhavani Thekkeda Nanjunda	Karnataka	4:13.91 secs
2	Renu Danu	CRPF	4:26.05 secs
3	Kusum Rana	ITBP	4:26.16 secs

As Gulmarg prepares for the closing ceremony, the 2026 edition of the Winter Games has reinforced the growing competitiveness of India's winter sports ecosystem - from Nordic endurance battles to high-speed alpine and snowboarding showdowns.