Khelo India Winter Games 2024: Skaters Put Maharashtra On Top; Army Denies ITBP Ice-Hockey Double

Maharashtra finished on top of the medal standings as the first part of the Khelo India Winter Games 2024 came to a rapturous finish at the Nawang Dorjay Stobdan Sports Complex in Leh on Tuesday. Maharashtra won 20 skating medals that included six golds. Karnataka also finished with six golds but their total count of eight as against Maharashtra's 20, relegated them to the Number 2 position in the standings. Hosts Ladakh, who won a pair of historic Khelo India golds in speed skating, finished third with a combined haul of 13 medals. The UT of Ladakh hosted the Khelo India Winter Games for the first time. Leh hosted two sports – ice hockey and speed skating. Part 2 of KIWG has been scheduled in Gulmarg, Jammu & Kashmir from February 21-25. Gulmarg will stage four sports.

On a sunny day in Leh, all roads led to the NDS sports complex. The Khelo India Winter Games 2024, which began on February 2, saw a memorable finish with more than 3,000 vociferous fans braving icy conditions to witness the two ice-hockey finals on Tuesday. Army denied ITBP a double. While Army won the men's title 3-1 after a shootout, ITBP won the women's title taming hosts Ladakh 4-0.

Ice hockey in India has generally been dominated by ITBP and Army teams and it was a dream final on Tuesday. Army and ITBP have shared most of the national and Khelo India Winter Games titles between them. This rivalry was palpable at NDS with teams demonstrating both their skills and physical prowess at an altitude of 11,562 feet.

ITBP came as the defending Khelo India champions. In the semifinals on Monday, Army scored a whopping 10-2 victory against Himachal Pradesh. ITBP, on the contrary, had a tougher semifinal against Ladakh. Although they won 4-0, it was contest