Khelo India Beach Games 2025: Maharashtra's Diksha Yadav clinches double gold in open sea swimming

ANI May 22, 2025 235 views

Diksha Yadav made waves at the Khelo India Beach Games 2025, securing gold in both the 5km and 10km open sea swimming events. The 19-year-old from Maharashtra credited her rigorous training for the historic double victory. Karnataka’s Drupad Ramakrishna also shone, winning the men’s 5km race with an impressive time. Both athletes now aim to represent India on the global stage.

"The double gold at KIBG 2025 is an achievement for all the practice I have undergone before coming here." – Diksha Yadav
Diu, May 22: Maharashtra's Diksha Yadav continued her exploits at the inaugural Khelo India Beach Games, sweeping both gold medals on offer in the Open Sea Swimming event.

Key Points

1

Diksha Yadav wins 5km and 10km open sea swimming golds

2

Karnataka’s Drupad Ramakrishna tops men’s 5km event

3

Both athletes eye international success

4

Khelo India Beach Games debut held at Ghoghla Beach, Diu

The 19-year-old from Maharashtra, picked up the yellow metal in both 10km and the 5km events at the Ghoghla Beach, Diu on Thursday morning. In the men's 5km open swim for men, Karnataka's Drupad Ramakrishna won gold, according to the SAI Media Release.

Diksha, who has fallen in love with long-distance swimming, started playing when she was in class 10, training at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune. This is just her second year in open water swimming, having been inspired by the accomplished American swimmer Katie Ledecky.

"The double gold at KIBG 2025 is an achievement for all the practice I have undergone before coming here," said Diksha after her 5km victory on Thursday morning. She recorded a time of 1 hour, 10 minutes and 12 seconds en route to her gold, as quoted from the SAI Media Release.

This was also her first time challenging the Arabian Sea.

"The water was calm, and there wasn't much difficulty. This Khelo India platform will help a lot going forward. Now I am focusing on getting the international selection this year and winning a medal for India at the World Championship open swimming category," Diksha Yadav added.

In the men's 5km open swim, Karnataka's Drupad Ramakrishna recorded a time of 1 hour, six minutes, and 46 seconds to win the gold. However, the class 10 student is looking for more in his career, and the medal at the Khelo India Beach Games is just a pit-stop.

"I have more competitions to go and more years to perform. I am hungry for more medals," said the 15-year-old Dhrupad.

"At the Basavanagudi aquatic centre in Bangalore, we train continuously for 1-2 hours to adjust to sea swimming. Therefore, there is not much difference between there and here. Just that there are more waves here," he added.

Results:

5km open

Men: 1. Drupad Ramakrishna (Karnataka) 1:06:46; 2. Gundu Vishnu Vardhan (Telangana) 1:06:58; 3. Hemanth A (Tamil Nadu) 1:07:41

Women: 1. Diksha Yadav (Maharashtra) 1:10:12; 2. Purva Gawade (Maharashtra) 1:10:25; 3. Aasra R Sudhir (Karnataka) 1:10:29.

Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
What an incredible performance by Diksha! � Double gold in open sea swimming is no joke. Shows how much potential we have in water sports if given proper training and platforms like Khelo India. More power to her!
P
Priya M.
So proud to see young athletes like Diksha and Drupad representing India's future in swimming! The fact that they train for hours in pools to adapt to sea conditions shows their dedication. Hope they get more international exposure soon.
A
Arjun S.
While the achievements are commendable, I wish our media gave more coverage to such events. Cricket dominates 90% of sports news while real talents like these swimmers go unnoticed. Khelo India is changing that slowly!
S
Sunita R.
Maharashtra and Karnataka showing their dominance in swimming! Diksha's transition from pool to open sea in just 2 years is inspiring. Hope she gets proper support to compete internationally. Our athletes deserve better infrastructure.
V
Vikram J.
The sea conditions in Diu can be tricky, so these timings are impressive! Drupad being just 15 and already so determined is amazing. Hope SAI provides them continuous support - we need medals in Olympics swimming too!
N
Neha P.
As someone who swam competitively in school, I know how tough open water swimming is! The waves, currents, and no lane markers - these athletes are warriors. More beaches should host such events to promote the sport. 👏

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Your email won't be published


Disclaimer: Comments here reflect the author's views alone. Insulting or using offensive language against individuals, communities, religion, or the nation is illegal.

Tags:
Khelo India Beach Games 2025 Diksha Yadav Drupad Ramakrishna Open sea swimming Maharashtra Karnataka