Khelo India Winter Games 2025: Menka Gunjiyal and Mehrajuddin Khan Clinch Gold in Slalom Snowboarding; Army Begins Title Defence in Commanding Fashion

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Gulmarg (J&K), Mar 9: Defending champions Indian Army began their Khelo India Winter Games 2025 campaign in dominant fashion, clinching seven medals on Day 1, including two golds, two silvers, and three bronzes.

Himachal Pradesh followed with a gold, a silver, and a bronze, while hosts Jammu & Kashmir bagged a gold and a silver medal, setting up a thrilling start to the competition.

Army Dominates Nordic Skiing

The Indian Army swept the podium in the men's 10km Nordic skiing event, with Sunny Singh securing gold, Manjeet taking silver, and Raj Din clinching bronze.

In the women's 5km Nordic skiing event, Karnataka's Bhavani Thekkada claimed gold with a time of 17:43.47. The 28-year-old, a certified trainer and mountaineer, made history in the previous edition by winning three gold medals in Gulmarg. ITBP's Selma Soreng and Kusum Rana secured silver and bronze, respectively.

Ski Mountaineering - A New Rising Star

In the men's ski mountaineering sprint event, Indian Army's Rajeshwar Singh emerged victorious with a time of 15:13.40. Siddharth Gadekar, representing Maharashtra, claimed silver (15:30.91), while Uttarakhand's Mayank Dimri took bronze.

Siddharth, a Pune-based cyclist and coach, expressed his excitement after his debut Khelo India medal:

"I am a cyclist and a coach as well. Being a cyclist, I have always loved endurance sports and train in the nearby hills in Maharashtra. I arrived here in late January to prepare, and I am happy with my performance."

He also revealed his ambitions to represent India at the Winter Olympics and credited his recent training stint in Kazakhstan for improving his performance.

Alpine Skiing & Snowboarding Glory

In the men's slalom alpine skiing event, Yogesh Kumar from Himachal Pradesh claimed gold, followed by Army's Jigmet Rafastan (silver) and Bakir Hussain (bronze).

J&K's Mehrajuddin Khan won gold in men's slalom snowboarding, finishing ahead of local competitor Zubair Ahmad Lone, who took silver, and Army's Vivek Rana, who secured bronze.

Rana, an Indian Army havildar from Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand, while sharing his experience told myKhel, "I have witnessed a lot of growth in snowboarding over the past decade. Since the introduction of Khelo India Winter Games in 2020, participation has increased, and competition levels have improved. Events like these help develop our skills and enhance India's winter sports potential."

In the women's slalom snowboarding event, Uttarakhand's Menka Gunjiyal dominated, clinching gold with an impressive time of 24:44.90. Himachal Pradesh's Sakshi Thakur and Natasha Mahar took silver and bronze, respectively.

Speaking exclusively to myKhel, Gunjiyal, a yoga instructor in Auli, expressed her gratitude for such platforms: "Khelo India gives us a chance to compete at the highest level in India. We have immense talent and passion, but we need better infrastructure and exposure. My message to young girls in adventure sports is simple: be fearless and believe in yourself."

Medal Tally After Day 1

UT of Ladakh leads the tally with four gold, two silver, and one bronze medal, followed by the Indian Army (three gold, three silver, two bronze).

Day 1 Results:

- Alpine Skiing (Men's Slalom): Gold - Yogesh Kumar (Himachal Pradesh), Silver - Jigmet Rafastan (Army), Bronze - Bakir Hussain (Army)

- Nordic Skiing:
Men's 10km: Gold - Sunny Singh (Army), Silver - Manjeet (Army), Bronze - Raj Din (Army)
Women's 5km: Gold - Bhavani Thekkada (Karnataka), Silver - Selma Soreng (ITBP), Bronze - Kusum Rana (ITBP)

-Ski Mountaineering (Men's Sprint): Gold - Rajeshwar Singh (Army), Silver - Siddharth Gadekar (Maharashtra), Bronze - Mayank Dimri (Uttarakhand)

- Snowboarding:

- Men's Slalom: Gold - Mehrajuddin Khan (Jammu & Kashmir), Silver - Zubair Ahmad Lone (Jammu & Kashmir), Bronze - Vivek Rana (Army)
- Women's Slalom: Gold - Menka Gunjiyal (Uttarakhand), Silver - Sakshi Thakur (Himachal Pradesh), Bronze - Natasha Mahar (Himachal Pradesh)

Day 2 Schedule

- Alpine Skiing - Men's & Women's Giant Slalom
- Nordic Skiing - Men's Sprint, Women's 10km
- Ski Mountaineering - Men's & Women's Vertical
- Snowboarding - Men's Giant Slalom

Khelo India Winter Games will be telecast live on DD Sports from 9 AM onwards.