LEH, Jan 28: The Union Territory of Ladakh finished on top of the Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) 2025, with the first phase of the event concluding at the NDS Stadium on Monday. Leh, the capital of Ladakh, hosted the games for the second time this year, and the competition saw thrilling performances, particularly in ice hockey and skating events.
The grand finale of the men’s ice hockey tournament featured a tense match between the Indian Army and ITBP, where the Army narrowly defeated ITBP 2-1 to retain their KIWG crown. The final saw no goals in the first two periods, with all three goals coming in the last 15 minutes. Rigzin Norboo gave the Army an early lead in the final period, assisted by national player Dorjay Angchok. ITBP equalized shortly after, but Padma Norboo scored the decisive goal in the final minute, securing a 2-1 victory for the Army.
In women’s ice hockey, the Ladakh team had a moment of sweet redemption, defeating ITBP 4-0 to top the women’s round-robin league. This victory was especially significant for the team as they had lost to ITBP by the same margin in last year’s final. Himachal Pradesh took home the bronze medal. Padma Chorol, a senior member of the Ladakh women’s team, expressed her joy, saying, “It feels amazing and it’s a big moment for our team. Last year, we lost to ITBP, but this year, we made a strong comeback.”
In skating, Tamil Nadu continued to shine as a growing hub for talent. Yashashree won Tamil Nadu’s third gold medal in the final women’s 500m long track event at Gupuks, clocking 00:58.00 seconds to narrowly beat Riya Vilas Gayakwad of Maharashtra (1:04.31 seconds) and Srija S. Rao of Karnataka (1:04.93 seconds).
Ladakh finished the first phase with seven medals, including four golds, topping the medal tally. Tamil Nadu followed with five medals, including three golds, while Maharashtra, despite securing the highest number of medals (10), finished third with only two golds. Maharashtra had topped KIWG 2024 with 20 skating medals, including six golds. Telangana and Karnataka rounded out the top five, with two and one gold, respectively.
The second and final phase of KIWG 2025 is scheduled to take place in Gulmarg, Jammu & Kashmir, from February 22 to 25, promising more exciting action in winter sports.
