Maharashtra completed on high of the medal standings as the primary a part of the Khelo India Winter Games 2024 got here to a rapturous end on the Nawang Dorjay Stobdan Sports Complex in Leh on Tuesday. Maharashtra gained 20 skating medals that included six golds. Karnataka additionally completed with six golds however their whole rely of eight as towards Maharashtra’s 20, relegated them to the Number 2 place within the standings. Hosts Ladakh, who gained a pair of historic Khelo India golds in velocity skating, completed third with a mixed haul of 13 medals. The UT of Ladakh hosted the Khelo India Winter Games for the primary time. Leh hosted two sports activities – ice hockey and velocity skating. Part 2 of KIWG has been scheduled in Gulmarg, Jammu & Kashmir from February 21-25. Gulmarg will stage 4 sports activities.

On a sunny day in Leh, all roads led to the NDS sports activities complicated. The Khelo India Winter Games 2024, which started on February 2, noticed a memorable end with greater than 3,000 vociferous followers braving icy circumstances to witness the 2 ice-hockey finals on Tuesday. Army denied ITBP a double. While Army gained the lads’s title 3-1 after a shootout, ITBP gained the ladies’s title taming hosts Ladakh 4-0.

Ice hockey in India has usually been dominated by ITBP and Army groups and it was a dream closing on Tuesday. Army and ITBP have shared many of the nationwide and Khelo India Winter Games titles between them. This rivalry was palpable at NDS with groups demonstrating each their abilities and bodily prowess at an altitude of 11,562 ft.

ITBP got here because the defending Khelo India champions. In the semifinals on Monday, Army scored a whopping 10-2 victory towards Himachal Pradesh. ITBP, quite the opposite, had a more durable semifinal towards Ladakh. Although they gained 4-0, it was contest marred by plenty of bodily play.

In a well-contested closing, the primary interval ended 0-0. Army opened the scoring within the ninth minute of the second interval by means of Tsewang Dorjay. Mohammed Ismail equalised for ITBP quickly after. At the top of the third interval, the rating stood 1-1. Two durations of additional time didn’t produce a consequence. In the shootout, Army scored twice to settle the problem.

“Our rivalry with the ITBP has been going on for a long time, and today’s match was the hardest in the series. We knew it would be exciting, but we were surprised by the huge crowd and the support from the public. It reminded us that winning on our home turf is really something special. We know we could have played better, but we’re still happy that we came out on top in the end,” stated Stanzin Phandey, the Army group captain.

This is the primary time that ladies’s ice-hockey was included into the Khelo India Winter Games programme. For the ITBP women, successful the gold in Ladakh’s dwelling floor was a candy expertise. The two groups had met within the title spherical of the nationals in Kaza, Himachal Pradesh in January this yr. ITBP gained the title. Himachal Pradesh and Telangana had been the opposite two groups at KIWG 2024.

ITBP captain Tashi Dolker stated: “It feels like a historic moment to be the first women’s champions at the Khelo India Winter Games 2024. This is a very important win for us as in the Kaza nationals we won via a shootout. This win is thus far more satisfying.”

The skating competitors ended late on Monday. All eyes had been on skilled skater Shruti Kotwal of Maharashtra. The 32-year-old velocity skater, who trains and competes within the US, participated within the Khelo India Winter Games for the primary time and didn’t disappoint. It was a candy homecoming after 15 years.

At the frozen Gupuks Pond, surrounded by the Indus River and a snow-clad Zanskar vary, a barely tentative Shruti comfortably gained each the lengthy tracks occasions (1000 and 500 m) within the above-17 years’ class with a timing of 1:00.56 seconds and 1:49.25 seconds, respectively. The distinction in timings between the winner and the others within the 1000 m race was very conspicuous. Shruti holds the nationwide document within the 500m with a timing of 41.97 seconds.

This version of the KIWG 2024 has been historic for Ladakh. After the hosts gained the ladies’s quick monitor 1600m relay gold, the lengthy monitor skaters — Padma Angmo, Insha Fatima and Tasnia Shamim (Ladakh) did a commendable 1-2-3 within the under-17 1000 metres race at Gupuks. Maharashtra added three long-track skating golds to catch with Karnataka’s six and overtake them on cumulative rely.