Diu, Jan 9 (NationPress) The defending champions Kerala men and Odisha women achieved remarkable victories to defend their Beach Soccer gold medals during the Khelo India Beach Games (KIBG) 2026 at the scenic Ghoghla Beach in Diu on Friday.

As the second edition of the KIBG 2026 nears its conclusion, Madhya Pradesh has surged to the lead in the medals tally with two gold medals in Pencak Silat. Sarun Sonwane (Male 70-75kg) and Mahendra Swami (Male 85-90kg) triumphed in their respective weight categories, elevating the state’s medal count to three gold, one silver, and one bronze.

Haryana stands in second place with two gold, four silver, and two bronze medals, while the hosts, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, are in third place with two gold, two silver, and four bronze.

The Khelo India Beach Games 2026, organized by the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, is under the technical supervision of the Sports Authority of India and national sports federations. This edition features over 1100 participants competing in eight sports, including volleyball, soccer, sepaktakraw, kabaddi, pencak silat, Open water swimming, mallakhamb, and tug-of-war.

In the men’s Beach Soccer final, Kerala delivered a dominant performance, overpowering Goa with an 8-2 scoreline. Kerala men began aggressively, scoring twice within the first two minutes. Goa responded with a goal from Abel Gurjao in the eighth minute, but Kerala quickly regained their lead. By the end of the second quarter, Kerala had extended their lead to 6-1, effortlessly securing their title.

In the women’s final, Odisha triumphed with a decisive goal from Khundongbam Ambalika in the 28th minute, after a tightly contested match that saw both teams tied at 1-1 at halftime. Manisha Naik had opened the scoring for Odisha in the 13th minute, but Gujarat equalized just a minute later through Bhumisha Dravid.

Anurag and Ashmita Excel in Open Water Swimming

Earlier, Anurag Singh from Uttar Pradesh and Ashmita Chandra from Karnataka clinched gold medals in the men’s and women’s 10km Open Water Swimming events.

Anurag, competing in his first Khelo India Beach Games, finished with a time of 2:22:02, finishing 16 minutes ahead of silver medalist Akshaj P. His success stems from extensive endurance training in the pool over the past month.

Rajasthan Dominates in Beach Kabaddi

Rajasthan secured both gold medals in Beach Kabaddi, triumphing over the strong Haryana teams. The Rajasthan women defeated Haryana 47-27, while the men’s team won 43-36, marking a spectacular double victory for the state.

However, Haryana’s Beach Sepaktakraw team ensured at least one gold for the state, winning against Uttar Pradesh 15-8, 15-7. In the men’s final, Bihar narrowly defeated Andhra Pradesh 15-13, 15-13.

TODAY’S RESULTS

Beach Pencak Silat

Women Tanding

Class D 60-65kg: Gold – Nyia K Thono (Nag); Silver – Chetna Tanwar (Har); Bronze – Piyu Das (Odi), Meko Liyak (Arunachal Pradesh)

Men Tanding

Class D 60-65kg: Gold – Shahid Hilal (J&K); Silver – Vinay (Har); Bronze – Suraj Yadav (UP), Ashish Sharma (DND&DD)

Class E 65-70kg: Gold – Saliq Bin Farooq (J&K); Silver – Ashish Kumar Singh (Del); Bronze – Suraj Gora (Raj), Sheikh Arbaj Ali (Cht)

Class F 70-75kg: Gold – Sarun Sonawane (MP); Silver – Chetan Prajapati (Utr); Bronze – Hansda Akash (DNH&DD), Sarfaraz Ali (J&K)

Class I 85-90kg: Gold – Mahendra Swami (MP); Silver – Arvinder Singh (J&K); Bronze – Ravi Choudhary (Raj), Rudra Pratap Sadangi (Odi)

Class J 90-95kg: Gold – Kitenlo K Thono (Nag); Silver – Saleen Sultan (J&K); Bronze – Chaina Ram Sepat (Raj), Gautam (Har)

Beach Kabaddi

Women: Gold – Rajasthan; Silver – Haryana; Bronze – Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra

Men: Gold – Rajasthan; Silver – Haryana; Bronze – Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh

Beach Soccer

Women: Gold – Odisha; Silver – Gujarat; Bronze – Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh

Men: Gold –; Silver –; Bronze – Karnataka, Maharashtra

Beach Sepaktakraw

Women Quad: Gold – Haryana; Silver – Uttar Pradesh; Bronze – Odisha, Nagaland

Men Quad: Gold – Bihar; Silver – Andhra Pradesh; Bronze – Haryana, Delhi

Open Water Swimming

Women 10km: Gold – Ashmitha Chandra (Kar) 2:46:34s; Silver – Aasra Sudhir (Kar) 2:47:57s; Bronze – Diksha Yadav (Mah) 2:49:04s

Men Regu: Gold – Anurag Singh (UP) 2:22:02s; Silver – Akshaj P (Kar) 2:38:27s; Bronze – Kanishka S A (Kar) 2:41:51s