*Haryana leads medal tally
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
LEH, Jan 22: Seventeen-year-old Gauri Rai from Haryana delivered a memorable performance at the first leg of the 2026 Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG), winning the gold medal in the advanced figure skating category at the Nawang Dorjan Stobdan Stadium (NDS) here. Her triumph holds special significance as figure skating was included in the Khelo India Winter Games for the first time.
A resident of Gurugram, Gauri etched her name into the history books with a composed routine that impressed judges despite the challenges posed by Leh’s high altitude. Originally a roller skater, Gauri’s journey into figure skating began in 2017 after she witnessed a demonstration event at Ambience Mall in Gurugram-an experience that proved transformative.
“Roller skating was something I had done for a long time, but I wanted a sport that combined speed and grace. When I saw figure skating for the first time, I knew that was my calling,” said Gauri, who has represented India at international competitions, including the UAE Figure Skating Championship in Dubai in 2022 where she won silver.
“I was out of breath and not used to these conditions. But my mother always believed I would win. After the results, we had a family video call and everyone was celebrating,” she said.
Currently studying at Manav Rachna International School, Gurugram, Gauri lauded the Khelo India initiative and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) for organising what she described as a world-class event. She praised the ice quality at the NDS Stadium and the overall arrangements, including accommodation, food, transport and media coverage.
Gauri also highlighted the need for infrastructure development, pointing out that India currently has only two Olympic-size artificial ice rinks. “Our international competitors train up to 16 hours a day. More facilities are crucial if we want to produce top-quality skaters,” she said. Gauri is now preparing for an International Skating Union seminar scheduled for March or April, which will assess skaters’ readiness for international competitions.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu’s Avikshit Vijay Viswanat and Madhya Pradesh’s Udreka Singh claimed gold medals in the men’s and women’s 500m long track speed skating events, respectively, on day three of the Games. Avikshit successfully defended his KIWG title with a timing of 43.48 seconds, while 15-year-old Udreka impressed in her third appearance at the Games, clocking 53.94 seconds.
Haryana continued to lead the medal tally, courtesy the pair of figure skating gold medals won on Wednesday. Uttarakhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh shared the second spot with a gold each while hosts Ladakh is at sixth position with two silver and two bronze medals.
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