*Maharashtra added two skating medals, Karnataka lead overall tally
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
LEH, Feb 5: It was a mixed day for hosts Ladakh in the Khelo India Winter Games as they won a first-ever gold in the women’s short track 1600m relay at the NDS sports complex today while the men’s ice-hockey team went down 0-4 against a powerful ITBP in a semi-final match.
Maharashtra secured an additional two gold medals in skating, bringing their overall count to three. However, Karnataka remains in the lead with four gold medals in the standings. On Monday, Maharashtra won gold medals in both the men’s short track relay (1600m) and the mixed short track relay, both covering the same distance. The mixed team race resulted in Ladakh winning the silver medal.
There was never any doubt about Maharashtra’s supremacy in the relays, as their skaters have obtained a total of 13 silver and bronze medals out of 22, which is the highest number possible. Thus far in the Games, 11 gold medals in skating have been awarded.
Ladakh’s historic gold in women’s short track came like a breath of fresh air on another cold day. It’s been snowing overnight but the NDS ground staff did a good job to prepare the rink for the skating competition. The Ladakh quartet of Skarma Tsultim, Insha Fatima, Tasnia Shamim, Padma Angmo responded beautifully clocking 3:55.80 to relegate Maharashtra (4:17.12) to the second place by a decent margin.
Mohammad Abbas Nordak, the coach of the Ice Skating Association of Ladakh, said, “My team trained hard in the last one year. The gold was unexpected because the girls were up against a team that was more experienced and had seasoned skaters who have trained abroad… my happiness knows no bounds.” Abbas also added that a short track relay has been conducted for the first time in Ladakh.
The centre of attraction on Monday was the men’s ice-hockey semifinal between Ladakh and ITBP. Ice-hockey is a very popular sport in this region and the NDS complex saw a full house with supporters from both sides cheering their respective teams in what was a hotly contested affair.
SKATING RESULTS AT A GLANCE
Women’s short track 1600m relay final:
Skarma Tsultim, Insha Fatima, Tasnia Shamim, Padma Angmo (3:55.80) – Ladakh
Swaralli Deo, Janvi Chordia, Swarupa, Abhisri Jagtap (4:17.12) – Maharashtra
Stuti Dhandhania, Raina, Ruhi Sharma, Riddhi Patel (4:18. 98) – Haryana
Men’s short track (1600m relay final
Suyog Tapkir, Sumit Tapkir, Aarav Patwardhan, Advay Kothari (3:14.78) – Maharashtra
Noyal Cherian, Sujal Sahu, Yogesh Sharma, Harsh Kasaundhan (3:56.52) – Madhya Pradesh
Sanyam Goyal, Shubhang Munjal, Rohit, Hriday Arora (4:13.48) Haryana
Mix short track (1600m) relay final
Suyog Tapkir, Aarav Patwardhan, Janvi Chordia, Swarupa Deshmukh (3:26.15 seconds) – Maharashtra
Mohammed Saquaf Raza, Skarma Tsultim, Stanzin Jampal, Tasniya Shamim (3: 41.56) – Ladakh
Noyal Cherian, Yogesh Sharma, Udreka Singh, Avantika Singh (4:11.95 sec) Madhya Pradesh
ICE HOCKEY RESULTS AT A GLANCE
Men’s semi-final 1: ITBP beat UT Ladakh 4-0
Men’s semi-final 2: Army beat Himachal Pradesh
Women’s round-robin league: Himachal Pradesh beat Telangana by 4-1.
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