Gulmarg, Feb 25: Jammu and Kashmir registered a significant jump in the medal standings at the 6th Khelo India Winter Games 2026 after a strong performance in the Snowboard Giant Slalom event at Gulmarg on Wednesday, climbing from 17th position to 10th place in the overall medal tally.
The turnaround came after J&K rider Zubair Ahmad Lone clinched gold in the men’s Snowboard Giant Slalom on Day 3 of competitions, delivering a commanding run to finish with a timing of 01:17.424. The closely fought contest saw Vivek Rana of Army secure silver with 01:17.451, while Kulwinder Sharma, also representing Army, claimed bronze with 01:18.716.
The race witnessed intense competition as athletes navigated the challenging slopes of Kongdoori with sharp carving and technical precision, with margins decided in fractions of a second.
With the latest result, Jammu and Kashmir improved its medal count to four medals, including one gold, one silver and two bronze, pushing the host Union Territory into the top ten of the standings after being placed 17th earlier in the Games.
Army continued to dominate the total medal tally with 23 medals, followed by Himachal Pradesh with 14 medals and Haryana in third position with seven medals. Maharashtra and Ladakh occupied the fourth and fifth spots respectively, while CRPF, Karnataka and Telangana remained among the top contenders.
The improvement in ranking marked a morale boost for the host contingent, with local athletes making a strong impact in snowboarding disciplines amid challenging weather and high level competition at Gulmarg—(KNO)
