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Army Climbs to Top of Khelo India Winter Games 2026 Medal Tally on Day 2

The Indian Army surged to the top of the medal standings on Day 2 of the Khelo India Winter Games 2026 in Gulmarg, securing their fourth and fifth gold medals of the competition. Kajal Kumari Rai of the CRPF captured her second consecutive gold medal, winning the women's 10km Nordic ski event in an emotional performance. Veteran Alpine skier Aanchal Thakur from Himachal Pradesh claimed gold in the women's giant slalom, while the Army dominated the men's Nordic race with a podium sweep led by Padma Namgail. Maharashtra and Haryana remain close contenders in the overall medal tally as several new champions were crowned across ski mountaineering and Alpine events.

Key Points: Khelo India Winter Games 2026: Army Leads Medal Tally

  • Army leads medal tally with 5 golds
  • Kajal Kumari Rai wins 2nd consecutive Nordic gold
  • Aanchal Thakur wins Alpine giant slalom
  • Padma Namgail leads Army Nordic sweep
3 min read

Khelo India Winter Games 2026 Day 2: Army goes on top of medal tally

Day 2 results from Gulmarg: Army takes top spot, Kajal Kumari Rai wins second gold, and Aanchal Thakur strikes Alpine gold. Full medal tally updates.

"The grief of losing her father is perhaps propelling the Meghalaya cross-country skier to race to her second straight gold. - on Kajal Kumari Rai"

Gulmarg, February 24

On a day when honours were shared, the Army struck their fourth gold in the Gulmarg leg of the Khelo India Winter Games 2026 to go on top of the medal standings on Tuesday. The Games are being hosted by the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council.

Another five medals were decided on Day 2 of KIWG 2026 on Tuesday. The highlight of the day was Nordic skier Kajal Kumari Rai of CRPF winning her second consecutive gold medal of the competition. Ten gold medals have been decided in Gulmarg leg so far. Army added one more to their three overnight to tally five golds so far. Army had won the men's ice hockey gold in the Ladakh leg of the Khelo India Winter Games 2026.

Haryana continue to occupy the second position in the medal tally with four gold medals, all coming from their skaters in Leh, but Maharashtra is only a gold medal adrift. Kamiyaa Karthikeyan gave Maharashtra its first gold from the ski mountaineering (vertical) competition on Gulmarg's Kongdoori slopes, as per a SAI Media press release.

There has been a lot of attention on veteran Aanchal Thakur. The Alpine skier from Himachal Pradesh struck her first gold of KIWG 2026 in the giant slalom race, winning comfortably with a timing of 48.984 seconds. Her teammate Tanuja Thakur won silver, but the upcoming skier from Karnataka, Jiah Aryan, once again finished among the medals.

Kajal Kumari continues to win hearts. The grief of losing her father is perhaps propelling the Meghalaya cross-country skier to race to her second straight gold of KIWG 2026. Kajal won the 10 km Nordic gold for women once again, relegating the fancied Bhavani Thekkada Nanjunda of Karnataka to the bronze. The silver went to CRPF's Hiral.

Army's star skier Padma Namgail led an Army one-two-three in the men's version of the 10 km Nordic race at the Gulmarg Golf course. So dominating was the Army team that the first nine positions went to them. Sunny Singh of Army, who won the Nordic sprint gold on Monday, was the defending champion. He finished sixth.

*RESULTS Day 2 (all finals)

-ALIPINE GIANT SLALOM (women): 1. Aanchal Thakur (Himachal Pradesh) 48.984 sec 2. Tanuja Thakur (HP) 51.697 secs 3. Jiah Aryan (Karnataka) 53.790 secs.

-NORDIC SKI (women - 10 km): 1. Kajal Kumari Rai (CRPF) 32:58.76 secs 2. Hiral (CRPF) 33:14.89 secs 3. Bhavani Thekkada Nanjunda (Karnataka) 33:22.03 secs.

-NORDIC SKI (men - 10 kms): 1. Padma Namgail (Army) 23:18.63 secs 2. Aman Kumar (Army) 23:22.24 secs 3. Manjeet (Army) 23:23.94 secs.

-SKI MOUNTAINEERING (Men - vertical): 1. Shardul Thaplial (Uttarakhand) 3: 56.45 secs 2. Siddhartha Gadekar (Maharashtra) 4:09.80 secs 3. Santosh Moktan (Army) 4:14.82 secs.

-SKI MOUNTAINEERING (Women - vertical): 1. Kamiyaa Karthikeyan (Maharashtra) 05.26.708 secs 2. Natasha Mahar (Himachal Pradesh) 5:53.885 secs 3. Sangeeta Bhatt (Uttarakhand) 6:03.253 secs.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Kajal Kumari Rai's story is so inspiring. To perform at this level while dealing with personal loss shows immense mental strength. More power to her! 🙏 And great to see Himachal and Uttarakhand athletes shining in the mountains.
R
Rohit P
Fantastic to see winter sports getting this platform! But I have a small suggestion - the coverage feels very medal-centric. Would love to see more human interest stories about the athletes' journeys, especially from the northeastern states and other regions new to these games.
S
Sarah B
Hosting this in Gulmarg is brilliant! It showcases our beautiful winter destinations and promotes tourism in J&K. Congrats to all winners, especially Aanchal Thakur for that gold! 🎿
K
Karthik V
Maharashtra and Haryana putting up a strong fight! Kamiyaa Karthikeyan's gold in ski mountaineering is a proud moment. The competition between states is really heating up, which is great for Indian sports.
M
Michael C
The dominance of CRPF and Army athletes is impressive. It shows how important institutional support is for developing sporting talent in niche disciplines like winter sports. More corporates should step up!

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