Leh, Jan 27: The hosts Ladakh emerged as champions of the Khelo India Winter Games, winning two gold medals on the final day, bringing their total to four as the tournament’s first phase concluded here on Monday.
A total of thirteen gold medals were up for grabs in this initial phase, while the second and final phase is scheduled to take place in Gulmarg, J&K, from February 22 to 25.
In the men’s ice hockey final, the Indian Army triumphed over the ITBP with a close score of 2-1, successfully defending their title.
The mixed relay team from Ladakh, featuring athletes Stanzin Jampal, Skarma Tsultim, Mohammed Saquaf Raza, and Padma Angmo, clinched gold with a time of 3:02.19 seconds. Maharashtra and Telangana followed, securing silver and bronze with times of 3:03.78 seconds and 3:04.85 seconds, respectively.
In the women’s competition, Ladakh’s team dominated, defeating the highly regarded ITBP 4-0 to secure the top position, while Himachal Pradesh took home the bronze medal.
In the final skating event of the day, Yashashree earned Tamil Nadu’s third gold medal, finishing in 00:58.00 seconds. Riya Vilas Gayakwad of Maharashtra (1:04.31 seconds) and Srija S Rao of Karnataka (1:04.93 seconds) claimed silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Leading the medal tally, Ladakh finished with 7 medals, including four gold, while Tamil Nadu followed with five medals, three of which were gold. Despite Maharashtra’s overall medal count of 10, they secured only two gold medals, placing them in third.
