The Union Territory of Ladakh finished on top of the Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) 2025, the first phase of which concluded at the NDS Stadium on Monday. Leh, the capital of Ladakh, hosted the games for the second time this year.
The grand finale featured a thrilling men’s ice hockey final, where the Indian Army edged past ITBP 2-1 to retain the KIWG crown.
The second and final phase of KIWG 2025 is scheduled to take place in Gulmarg, Jammu & Kashmir, from February 22 to 25.
Ladakh bagged two of the four gold medals decided on Monday. Their mixed relay team, comprising Stanzin Jampal, Skarma Tsultim, Mohammed Saquaf Raza, and Padma Angmo, clinched gold with a time of 3:02.19 seconds. Maharashtra (3:03.78 seconds) and Telangana (3:04.85 seconds) secured silver and bronze, respectively.
There was more joy for local fans as the Ladakh women’s ice hockey team exacted sweet revenge by defeating ITBP 4-0 to top the women’s round-robin league at a packed NDS Stadium complex. This victory was especially significant as Ladakh had lost to ITBP by the same 4-0 margin in last year’s final. Himachal Pradesh took home the bronze medal.
“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 Ladakh women’s ice hockey team, according to a press release.
Tamil Nadu shines in skating
Tamil Nadu emerged as a growing hub for skating talent. Yashashree secured Tamil Nadu’s third gold medal in the final skating event—the women’s 500m long track—held at Gupuks. She clocked 00:58.00 seconds, narrowly beating Riya Vilas Gayakwad of Maharashtra (1:04.31 seconds) and Srija S. Rao of Karnataka (1:04.93 seconds).
Overall, Ladakh topped the medal tally with seven medals, including four golds. Tamil Nadu followed with five medals, including three golds, while Maharashtra, despite winning the highest number of medals (10), finished third with only two golds. Maharashtra had topped KIWG 2024, securing 20 skating medals, including six golds. Telangana (two golds) and Karnataka (one gold) rounded out the top five.
Army retains ice hockey crown
The Indian Army successfully defended their ice hockey title, prevailing in a nail-biting final against ITBP. Supported by enthusiastic fans from the Ladakh Scouts Regimental Centre, the Army team played with vigor from the start.
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 in the 13th minute through Rigzin Norboo on an assist from Tashi Namgail. However, Padma Norboo scored the decisive goal in the final minute, again assisted by Angchok, securing a 2-1 victory for the Army.
“Our team has been playing matches back-to-back, starting with the CEC Cup, then the LG Cup, and now Khelo India. We didn’t get much time to practice, but I’m glad the team performed well. We won all three Cups, and I’m happy with their performance. I also want to thank the ITBP team for giving us tough competition in today’s final”, Army coach Rinchen Tundup said.