The Khelo India Winter Games 2025 men’s ice hockey final on Monday will be a rematch of last year’s gold medal-round game. On Sunday, the Indian Army upset hosts UT-Ladakh 2-1, while ITBP overcame Himachal Pradesh 3-1. Setting up an exciting final match at the NDS Stadium complex. The final day of the first stage of the Khelo India Winter Games 2025 produced mixed results for hosts Ladakh.
While Maharashtra surpassed Telangana and Karnataka in the medal count. Maharashtra leads the rankings with eight medals (two gold, two silver, and four bronze) after its skaters won gold, silver, and bronze on Sunday. Ladakh skaters began the day on a positive note at the NDS Stadium. Skarma Tsultim (2:17.91 sec) and Padma Angmo (2:21.13 sec) dominated the 1000m short track for women.
Madhya Pradesh’s Udreka Singh (2:22.74 sec) finished third. Skarma’s first KIWG gold medal was Ladakh’s second this year. Ladakh is tied for second place in the medal standings with Tamil Nadu, which earned two golds on Sunday in the women’s relay and men’s 500m long track events. On Sunday, Maharashtra skaters won three medals: gold (men’s relay), silver (women’s relay), and bronze (men’s 500 long track).
Ice Hockey Final Feels Like a Battlefield
Karnataka did not earn a medal today, but Tamil Nadu did, winning gold (Avikshit Vijay Viswanath) and silver (Selvakumar Muthukumar) in Gupuks Pond, where the men’s 500 long track event took place. In the afternoon session, the Indian Army became the first team to advance to the men’s ice hockey finals. The reigning champions held off a strong onslaught from hosts Ladakh to win 2-1.
The Army vs. Ladakh match was another hotly contested affair. Tempers flared frequently as Ladakh received strong home support, but the young Army men from the Ladakh Scouts Regimental Centre backed their side with characteristic zeal. Stanzin Lotus scored the opening goal for Ladakh in the 13th minute of the first session, much to the delight of home fans. The Army team lost 3-1 against ITBP in a league encounter on Saturday.
