Excelsior Sports Correspondent
LEH, Jan 24: The second day of the Khelo India Winter Games 2025 (KIWG) in Leh saw two gold medals awarded in speed skating, with athletes from Telangana and Karnataka securing top honours. The first gold medal of the competition was claimed by 15-year-old Nayana Sri Talluri from Telangana, who triumphed in the women’s 500m short track event at the NDS Stadium. Nayana, who had already won the same medal in the Under-17 category at KIWG 2023 in Gulmarg, clocked an impressive 1:01.35 seconds to finish ahead of Pratheeksha KS of Karnataka (1:02.84) and Swaroopa Deshmukh of Maharashtra (1:03.15).
Nayana’s win marked a personal achievement as she completed a ‘hat trick’ of gold, having also won two gold medals in KIWG 2024 and a 3000m women’s relay gold at the 2024 Asian Open Short Track Speed Skating Championship in Jakarta. “It’s a nostalgic feeling to be back on the ice in Ladakh, and winning my third consecutive gold here is truly special,” said Nayana, expressing her excitement.
In the men’s 1000m long track speed skating competition, Harshith BT of Karnataka bagged the second gold of the day with a time of 1:44.22 seconds. Tamil Nadu’s Guru Harshan H, competing in his first long track race at the Khelo India Winter Games, finished second with a time of 1:55.38 seconds, while Sachin Singh from Haryana claimed third place with a time of 1:56.63.
The ice hockey competitions also showcased strong performances, with ITBP defeating Haryana by 11-0, UT-Ladakh defeated Chandigarh by 6-0, and Army overpowering Maharashtra by 15-0 in the men’s category. In the women’s ice hockey match, UT-Ladakh defeated Chandigarh by 6-1.
These results contribute to the ongoing success of the Khelo India Winter Games 2025, which is being held in Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir from January 23-27 and February 22-25.
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