KIBG 2025: Nagaland, Manipur stand out in pencak silat; local hero Bendre grabs another gold

With eight gold medals up for grabs in the tanding (combat) category, the fights started on Thursday morning and by afternoon Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Maharashtra, Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir walked away with one gold each.

Tanding is the only category in pencak silat that is combative, meaning where states and UTs fight each other. The rest of the categories are artistic where players rely on their movements, posture, grace, etc. to woo the judges. So, since tanding is combative, it can get bloody at times as it did in the first final of the day which was the under 45kg male category.

Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu's Prasanna Narendra Bendre struck Uttar Pradesh's Prashant in the mouth right at the end of the third and final round with his feet. Bendre was penalised five points for that but it could not stop him from winning his second gold of the competition. Bendre, the local hero, took the contest 45-21.

In the second final of the day which was the under 45kg female category, Dolly Leishangthem of Manipur won a close contest 13-12 against Chandigarh's Reena. Then in the Class A 45-50kg male category, Jon of Nagaland upset one of the top names in the competition, Maharashtra's Ramchandra Deepak Badak. Jon dispatched Ramchandra 22-15.

Thounaojam Rita Chanu of Manipur beat Gaytri Negi of Uttarakhand 18-9 in the Class A 45-50kg female category. The fight was closer than the scoreline suggests but Negi was penalised five points for hitting Chanu in the head which is forbidden as per the rules and regulations of tanding.

Shivam of Delhi then saw off Eshubharti of Uttarakhand 29-18 in the Senior Male Class B 50-55kg to help Delhi to their second gold in pencak silat. The previous gold was won by a trio of Delhi girls in the Regu Senior female category.

In the next final (Senior Male Class C 55-60kg), Sajad Ahmad Beigh of Jammu and Kashmir dismissed Sohil Gurung of Odisha and the latter failed to score a single point to lose the contest 9-0.

Then in the second last final of the day, Jayashri Kailash Shetye of Maharashtra beat Hatneinem Khongsai of Nagaland comfortably 24-8 in the Senior Female Class B 50-55kg. In the last final of the day, Liike Kibami of Nagaland beat Hijam Merina Devi of Manipur 26-17 in the Senior Female Class C 50-55kg.

Brief results (all finals):

Senior Male Under 45kg final: Prasanna Narendra Bendre (Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 45-8 Prashant (Uttar Pradesh), Bronze: Samyek Vinod Marchande (Maharashtra) and Kartik Patel (Uttarakhand)

Senior Female Under 45kg final: Dolly Leishangthem (Manipur) 13-12 Reena (Chandigarh), Bronze: Metapao (Arunachal Pradesh) and Shijina K (Kerala)

Senior Male Class A 45-50kg final: Jon (Nagaland) 22-15 Ramchandra Deepak Badak (Maharashtra), Bronze: Atta Tayung (Arunachal Pradesh) and Kunal Rathee (Haryana)

Senior Female Class A 45-50kg final: Thounaojam Rita Chanu (Manipur) 18-9 Gaytri Negi (Uttarakhand), Bronze: Tap Menia (Arunachal Pradesh) and Mafi (Haryana)

Senior Male Class B 50-55kg final: Shivam (Delhi) 29-18 Eshubharti (Uttarakhand), Bronze: Tipu Patir (Assam) and Sudhanshu Srivastava (Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu)

Senior Male Class C 55-60kg final: Sajad Ahmad Beigh (Jammu and Kashmir) 9-0 Sohil Gurung (Odisha), Bronze: Likha Oum (Arunachal Pradesh) and Anmol Yadav (Uttar Pradesh)

Senior Female Class B 50-55kg final: Jayashri Kailash Shetye (Maharashtra) 24-8 Hatneinem Khongsai (Nagaland), Bronze: Bamangyape (Arunachal Pradesh) and Khushboo (Delhi)

Senior Female Class C 55-60kg final: Like Kibani (Nagaland) 26-17 Hijam Merina Devi (Manipur), Bronze: Shailja Kamal Vavia (Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu) and Varsha Kumari (Haryana).