Gulmarg (J&K), March 10 (NationPress) Siddharth Gadekar from Maharashtra and Tenzin Dolma of Himachal Pradesh emerged as the standout performers on Day 2 amidst challenging weather conditions during the second leg of the Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) 2025, held at the picturesque Kangdoori slopes on Monday. The defending champions, Indian Army, maintained their impressive streak, securing four medals—two gold, one silver, and one bronze—ensuring they lead the medal tally with a total of four gold, four silver, and five bronze medals.

With incessant snowfall since early Monday morning, the competitions proved to be a rigorous test of endurance and resilience. Tenzin Dolma, a 40-year-old skier from Manali, displayed remarkable mental fortitude to win her first-ever medal at the Khelo India Winter Games with a commendable time of 13:07.41. Her compatriot Natasha Mahar (13:39.39) secured the silver, while Menka Gunjiyal (14:16.23) from Uttarakhand claimed the bronze.

“This is my first visit to Gulmarg, and I thoroughly enjoyed competing here. The surface is excellent, and the arrangements are well-organized. As an ultra-trail runner, I found vertical ski mountaineering manageable,” said Tenzing Dolma, as reported by SAI Media.

“I am a mother of an 18-year-old daughter and do not come from a sporting background. I started ski mountaineering by observing friends involved in winter sports. For me, age is merely a number, and I am keen on making my mark in future competitions,” Tenzing Dolma added.

Siddharth Gadekar, the sole representative from Maharashtra, began training for ski mountaineering just two months ago and quickly achieved two medals—a silver in the men’s sprint and a gold in the men’s vertical event.

“Today’s race was crucial for me as it is my primary event, and winning gold was immensely gratifying. A lot of dedication has gone into this accomplishment. Until last year, I was merely a spectator in Gulmarg, but this time, participating in the Khelo India Winter Games, I managed to finish on the podium twice. Winning gold is incredibly satisfying, but the silver from my debut event will remain special,” Siddharth shared with SAI Media.

The Indian Army achieved a clean sweep in the Nordic skiing men’s sprint event, with Manjeet taking gold with a time of 4 minutes 21.14 seconds. Shubham Parihar (04:22.93) secured the silver, and Sunny Singh (04:30.94) earned the bronze medal.

In a similar vein, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) dominated the Nordic skiing women’s 10km event, winning all three medals. Leading the ITBP, Kusum Rana clinched gold in the Nordic skiing women’s 10km after previously winning bronze in the 5km event. Selma Soreng added her second silver of the Winter Games, and Anjana Devi completed the ITBP sweep with a bronze.

Zubair Ahmed Lone from Jammu & Kashmir won gold in the snowboarding men’s giant slalom event, followed closely by Kulvinder Sharma from the Army, who finished as runner-up, and Karan Sharma, who took home the bronze.