Diu, Jan 8 (NationPress) Prasanna Bendre from Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu secured a Tanding gold in Beach Pencak Silat while Tamil Nadu achieved remarkable success with four medals, including a gold and silver, in Beach Volleyball during the Khelo India Beach Games 2026 at Ghoghla Beach in Diu on Thursday.

Bendre, who previously clinched a silver medal in Tunggel, triumphed in the men’s Tanding Class B 50-55kg final by defeating Yaikhom Rohit Meitei from Manipur 15-0, boosting the host's medal count to two gold, two silver, and two bronze medals.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu topped the medals leaderboard thanks to their outstanding performances in the Beach Volleyball Arena and their men’s regu gold in Pencak Silat. At the conclusion of day four, Tamil Nadu led the medal standings with two gold, two silver, and three bronze medals; hosts DNH and DD followed closely with six medals (two golds, two silvers, and two bronze), while Manipur secured third place with two gold, one silver, and two bronze medals.

In the women's Beach Volleyball final, Deepika and Pavithra triumphed over Pondicherry’s Revathi and Swetha with a score of 2-0 to win the gold medal, while Swathi and Dharshini secured the bronze medal.

Bharat and Rajesh had the opportunity to achieve a double for Tamil Nadu but fell short against Goa’s Tejas Gauns and Prabal Sawan, losing 0-2. Nevertheless, Senthilkumar Abithan and U Poonthamizhan from Tamil Nadu earned the bronze medal.

The Khelo India Beach Games 2026, hosted by the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, is conducted under the technical guidance of the Sports Authority of India and national sports federations. The second edition of the Khelo India Beach Games is showcasing over 1100 participants competing in eight diverse sports: volleyball, soccer, sepaktakraw, kabaddi, pencak silat, open water swimming, mallakhamb, and tug-of-war. Among these, the first six are medal-winning sports, with a total of 32 gold medals available.

Earlier, Haryana women and Delhi men dashed Bihar’s hopes for a gold medal in Beach Sepaktakraw with contrasting victories in the regu finals.

In the women's final, Haryana made a strong comeback by overcoming a first-regu loss to defeat Bihar 2-1 in a match lasting an hour and 15 minutes, while the Delhi men's team delivered a decisive 2-0 defeat to Bihar.

Haryana is on the brink of a double in Beach Kabaddi, as both their women’s and men’s teams advanced to the finals in different manners. The Haryana women triumphed over Uttar Pradesh 38-32, while the men had a tough battle, securing a 33-31 win against Maharashtra. In both finals, they will face Rajasthan.

In Beach Soccer, defending champions Odisha showcased their dominance with a 7-0 victory over debutants Himachal Pradesh to secure a spot in the women’s final. Srijana Tamang, Satyabati Khadia, and Khundongbam Ambalika each scored two goals for the winners.

In the second women's semi-final, Gujarat's impressive start, scoring four goals in the first quarter, was sufficient for a 6-3 victory over Arunachal Pradesh. Captain Giani Ramching Mara scored one goal in each quarter for the losing team but lacked support from her teammates in front of the Gujarat goal.

TODAY’S RESULTS:

Beach Pencak Silat

Women

Regu: Gold – Odisha; Silver – Maharashtra; Bronze – Bihar, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu

Tanding Class B 50-55kg: Gold – Thokchom Roji Chanu (Man); Silver – Hatneinem Khongsai (Nag); Bronze – Parmesh Chauhan (Goa), Sonia (Chd)

Tanding Class C 55-60kg: Gold – Tripti Pandey (MP); Silver – Naushaba (Chd); Bronze – Drishti (Del), Nabam Yani (Arunachal)

Men

Regu: Gold – Tamil Nadu; Silver – Maharashtra; Bronze – Odisha, Karnataka

Tanding Class B 50-55kg: Prasanna Bendre (DNH&DD); Silver – Yaikhom Rohit Meitei (Man); Bronze – Aryaveer Singh (UP), Eshu Bharti (Utr)

Tanding Class C 55-60kg: Gold – Aaryan (Pun); Silver – Sohil Gurung (Odi); Bronze – Nikhil (Chd), Krishana Bairwa (Del)

Beach Kabaddi (semifinals)

Women: Haryana bt Uttar Pradesh 38-32; Rajasthan 56-28

Men: Haryana bt Maharashtra 33-31; Rajasthan bt Uttar Pradesh 57-22

Beach Soccer (semifinals)

Women: Gujarat bt Arunachal Pradesh 6-3; Odisha bt Himachal Pradesh 7-0

Beach Sepaktakraw

Women Regu: Gold – Haryana; Silver – Bihar; Bronze – Uttar Pradesh, Manipur

Men Regu: Gold – Delhi; Silver – Bihar; Bronze – Manipur, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu

Beach Volleyball

Women: Gold – Deepika/Pavithra (TN); Silver – Revathi/Swetha (Pdy); Bronze – Swathi/Dharshini (TN)

Men: Gold – Sawan/Gauns (Goa); Silver – Bharat/Rajesh (TN); Bronze – Senthilkumar Abithan and U Poonthamizhan