Leh, Ladakh (India): Hosts Ladakh clinched their first gold medal of the Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) 2026 when their women’s relay quartet won the 2000 metres short-track race at the Nawang Dorjay Stobdan (NDS) Stadium here on Saturday.
However, Haryana continued to dominate short-track skating, adding two more gold medals to lead the medal tally with four golds overall.
The biggest upset of the day came in men’s ice hockey, where Chandigarh stunned hosts Ladakh to book a place in the final against the Indian Army.
The 5,000-capacity NDS Stadium was packed to the rafters as the men’s ice-hockey semifinals got underway. In what was billed as a virtual final ahead of Monday’s title clash, Army defeated arch-rivals ITBP 2-0. Goals came from Jigmat Kunzang in the 18th minute of the first 20-minute period and Padma Norboo in the sixth minute of the third period.
Army, who had beaten ITBP 2-1 in last year’s final, once again displayed their superiority in a fiercely contested encounter marked by heavy body play. Kunzang and Norboo broke through an otherwise resolute ITBP defence, with the second goal coming from a long-range effort that caught the ITBP goalkeeper off guard.
In the second men’s semifinal, unfancied Chandigarh scripted a memorable 3-2 victory over Ladakh to enter the final. Trailing by a goal, Chandigarh mounted a stunning comeback, scoring three unanswered goals through Gurtej Singh Bhatti (two) and Unnatveer Singh. Earlier, Chandigarh’s women’s team had secured the bronze medal after defeating Himachal Pradesh 4-3 in extra time.
Ladakh Rise to Second Place in Medal Tally
With their victory in the women’s 2000m short-track relay, hosts Ladakh climbed to second place in the medal standings. The Ladakh quartet of Skarma Tsultim, Shabana Zara, Tasnia Shameem and Insha Fatima proved too strong for Karnataka and Maharashtra, the only other teams to qualify for the final. Despite multiple falls in a dramatic race, the Ladakh skaters recovered strongly to clinch gold.
Haryana’s Sachin Singh emerged as the star performer of the day. He first won the men’s 500m short-track sprint and later anchored Haryana to gold in the 3000m short-track relay, finishing ahead of Karnataka (silver) and Himachal Pradesh (bronze). With this feat, Sachin became the first skater at KIWG 2026 to win two gold medals.
“This is my first national-level gold medal, and I’m extremely proud to represent Haryana,” said the 26-year-old Sachin. “The support from my coach, managers and the Haryana association has been incredible. This medal reflects everyone’s hard work,” he added. Sachin trains at the Youngsters Academy in Dehradun.
Nayana’s Golden Streak Continues
Khelo India Winter Games has once again proved to be a happy hunting ground for Telangana’s Nayana Sri Talluri. The 17-year-old won gold in the women’s 500m short-track event, marking her fourth consecutive gold medal in this discipline at the Winter Games.
“It feels wonderful to win again. The competition was very tough, which makes this achievement even more special,” said Nayana, who now trains in Canada and travelled specially to Leh for the Games.DD
