Khelo India Winter Games 2025: Ladakh Finish On Top; Army Edge Out ITBP To Retain Ice-Hockey Title

In their second year as hosts, the Union Territory of Ladakh finished on top of the Khelo India Winter Games 2025, the first chapter of which ended at the NDS Stadium on Monday. Like always, the grand finale saw the mouth-watering men's ice hockey final and the Indian Army squeezed past ITBP 2-1 to retain the KIWG crown. The second and final phase of KIWG 2025 will be held in J&K's Gulmarg from February 22-25.

Ladakh won two of the four gold medals decided on Monday. Their mixed relay quartet, comprising Stanzin Jampal, Skarma Tsultim, Mohammed Saquaf Raza, and Padma Angmo, clocked 3:02.19 secs to strike gold. Maharashtra (3:03.78 secs) and Telangana (3:04.85 secs) won silver and bronze, respectively.

There was more joy for the local fans. In what was sweet revenge, Ladakh girls romped past fancied ITBP 4-0 to finish on top of the women's round-robin league at a packed NDS Stadium complex. Women's ice-hockey started only last year and interestingly, Ladakh had lost the final match to ITBP by a 4-0 scoreline. Himachal Pradesh won the bronze.

“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. A huge thanks to our coach and the Khelo India administration for bringing this event to Ladakh and making this possible for us,” said Padma Chorol, a senior member of the UT Ladakh women's ice hockey team.

Tamil Nadu showed why it is emerging as a centre for budding skaters. In the final skating event on Monday, the 500m women's long track (at Gupuks), saw Yashashree winning Tamil Nadu's third gold of KIWG 2025. She clocked 00:58.00 seconds. Riya Vilas Gayakwad of Maharashtra (1:04.31 secs) and Srija S. Rao of Karnataka (1:04.93 secs) won silver and bronze,