In Jammu and Kashmir, the 2nd leg of the 5th edition of the Khelo India Winter Games commenced today at picturesque Gulmarg in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

Several men and women athletes achieved the feat by winning medals after performing excellently in various events on the first day. The first day witnessed competitions in four winter sporting categories in which athletes from various states and UTs took part. Athletes are competing in four key disciplines, namely Alpine Skiing, Ski Mountaineering, Snowboarding, and Nordic Skiing.

As of today, competitions were held in Ski Mountaineering Women’s Sprint, Snowboarding Slalom (Men), and Snowboarding Slalom (Women) besides other events. In Alpine Skiing Slalom, Yogesh Kumar from Himachal Pradesh won Gold, Jigmet Rafastan from the Army won Silver, and Bakir Hussain from the Army won a Bronze medal.

In the Snowboarding Slalom Women category, Menka Gunjiyal from Uttarakhand won Gold, Sakshi Thakur from Himachal Pradesh won Silver, and Natasha Maher from Himachal Pradesh won a Bronze medal. In the Snowboarding Slalom Men Category, Mehrajuddin Khan of J&K won Gold, Zubair Ahmad Lone from J&K won Silver, and Vivek Rana from the Army won a Bronze medal.

Several hundred participants, along with officials, media personnel, and volunteers, are at the snow-clad destination, which has been transformed into a winter sports hub.

Over 800 sportspeople, including 550 athletes, are participating in the four-day event. Bhavani Thekkada Nanjunda, an athlete from Karnataka, who has won a gold medal in the Cross Country Nordic event, was jubilant over the feat.

The first leg of the games was successfully held in Ladakh from January 23 to 27, where ice hockey and ice-skating events took place at NDS Sports Complex and Guphuk Pond.