Telangana's Nayana completes hat-trick of golds at Khelo India Winter Games

Leh, Jan 24 (PTI) At just 15, Nayana Sri Talluri of Telangana made history by winning a hat-trick of gold medals in speed skating at the Khelo India Winter Games after securing the first yellow metal of this edition on day 2 of the competition here on Friday.

Nayana, who clinched the same medal in the under-17 category last year, dominated the women's 500m short track event, clocking 1:01.35 seconds. She left competitors from Karnataka and Maharashtra behind, continuing her winning streak from KIWG 2023 in Gulmarg.

"It's been a hat-trick of golds for me since I won in Gulmarg in 2023. I feel super great about it," Nayana told SAI Media.

Nayana's success is a result of building on her growing experience. She had bagged two golds in KIWG 2024, which featured both under-17 and 17-plus categories, and went on to win a 3000m women's relay gold at the 2024 Asian Open Short Track Speed Skating Championship in Jakarta.

"(In Jakarta), there were participants from different countries, which is great, but playing in our own country feels entirely different. This year, I'm back on the ice for the first time, and it's a nostalgic feeling to be back in Ladakh," she said.

Tamil Nadu's Guru Harshan H, 14, had a strong debut in his first long track KIWG race, finishing second.

Harshan trailed Karnataka's Harshith K, who clinched the second gold of the day at Gupuks Pond, with Haryana's Sachin Singh taking the third place.

Though Harshan had a solid showing, Ladakh's thin air affected his performance.

"I could not give my best," Harshan said, adding that the Gupuk surface was also tough to manage, as he is accustomed to skating on artificial ice.

In 2019, Harshan bagged a bronze in the under-10 category Open event organised by Ice Skating Association of India.

Harshan also participated in the third Khelo India Winter Games at Gulmarg in short track speed skating in 2023.

The ice-hockey competition is also turning out to be learning curve for teams like Haryana, Maharashtra, Chandigarh and Rajasthan.

The top teams like Army, ITBP and Ladakh have so far had a smooth sailing in the competition. PTI ATK SSC SSC