Gulmarg, Feb 23: Army made an emphatic start to the Gulmarg leg of the Khelo India Winter Games, winning three of the five gold medals at stake here on Monday.
CRPF and Himachal Pradesh also finished among the gold medals on the first day.
It was not a day for the favourites as veterans like Bhavani Thekkada Nanjunda of Karnataka and Aanchal Thakur of Himachal Pradesh were usurped by skiers who have been doing well in the national circuit.
Himachal Pradesh’s Sandhya Thakur, who have represented India at the Asian Winter Games in Harbin China last February beat Aanchal in a tight race on the Kongdoori slopes.
It was an emotional day for CRPF’s Kajal Kumari Rai, who won the gold in the 15km Nordic skiing (cross-country) for women at the Gulmarg Golf Course. Kajal relegated hot-favourite Bhavani to the bronze in a brilliant finish.
The Meghalaya-born Kajal dedicated her gold to her father who died last year in February. CRPF’s Renu Danu won the silver. Bhavani has won a hat-trick of gold medals in KIWG 2025. (PTI)
