How Did Hosts Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Lead the Medal Tally in KIBG 2025?

Diu, May 21 (NationPress) With three gold medals, all earned in pencak silat, the hosts Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu have taken the lead in the medal tally of the Khelo India Beach Games, surpassing competitors like Manipur, Maharashtra, and Delhi as of Wednesday.

The DNHDD team secured their third gold in pencak silat late Tuesday night when Princess Thomas triumphed in the creative solo event for women. Manipur added two golds, while Punjab, Delhi, and Maharashtra each took home one gold, summing up to eight gold medals distributed in pencak silat thus far.

On Wednesday, four gold medals were contested, with two each in 10 km open water swimming and sepak takraw (team event of three players). In one of the toughest events of the Games, Diksha Yadav from Maharashtra and Renukacharya Hodmani from Karnataka excelled in the women’s and men’s races, respectively, held in the calm early morning waters of the Arabian Sea.

Sepak takraw has captivated sports enthusiasts nationwide. It was a highlight at the recent Khelo India Youth Games in Bihar, and at Diu’s Ghoghla Beach, young athletes are showcasing their remarkable skills using both head and feet.

Unfortunately for Manipur, the sepak takraw (trio team) finals early Wednesday morning ended in disappointment. Known for their prowess in this sport, the northeastern state lost both the men’s and women’s finals to Delhi and Haryana, respectively. The rain-affected finals were thrilling matches that concluded with identical 2-1 scores.

Delhi team captain Sandeep Kumar, 35, shared how the unexpected shift in weather proved pivotal. “We lost the first regu before the rains, but then the conditions turned in our favor,” said Sandeep, who trains with his team near Majnu Ka Tila along the Yamuna River in the national capital.

Renukacharya Hodmani of Karnataka and Diksha Yadav of Maharashtra each claimed gold in their respective men’s and women’s sections of the 10 km open swimming event. Renukacharya, who began swimming at age seven, only ventured into open water swimming three years ago, finishing with a time of two hours, nine minutes, and 40 seconds.

Diksha, also relatively new to competitive swimming, shared, “Swimming in the Arabian Sea was enjoyable, although I faced challenges with the waves obstructing my vision and even jellyfish stings! I’m gaining a wealth of experience from the Khelo India Beach Games,” having clocked two hours, 18 minutes, and nine seconds to secure her gold.

Daman and Diu is enjoying remarkable success in pencak silat. The hosts earned three out of the eight available golds through Prasanna Narendra Bendre, Kirtana Manojkumar Acharya, and Princess Thomas in the Tunggal Senior Male, Tunggal Senior Female, and Creative Solo Female categories, respectively. Prasanna also secured a bronze in the ganda senior male category alongside Sudhanshu Srivastava.

Manipur, on the other hand, claimed two golds in the regu senior male and ganda senior male events. One gold was awarded each to Delhi (regu senior female), Punjab (creative solo male), and Maharashtra (ganda senior female).

The Games, which conclude on May 24, feature six medal sports: soccer, volleyball, kabaddi, open swimming, sepak takraw, and pencak silat, along with two non-medal sports (mallakhamb and tug-of-war).