KIBG 2025: Maharashtra’s Diksha Yadav makes golden splash; Manipur, Nagaland excel in pencak silat

DIU: Maharashtra’s Diksha Yadav showed excellent strength and stamina to clinch her second gold medal in the open sea swimming competition of the first Khelo India Beach Games here on Thursday. Diksha had won the 10km race on Wednesday, and she won a close 5km race in the Arabian Sea this morning.

When she surfaced on the Ghoghla Beach, the 19-year-old Diksha, who clocked 1 hour 10 minutes and 12 seconds, was just 13 seconds ahead of statemate Purva Gawade (1:10.25) and bronze winner Asara R. Sudhir of Karnataka (1:10:29). The men’s race, another close affair, was won by Karnataka’s Drupad Ramakrishna (1:06.46), according to a press release from SAI Media.

Twenty-eight of the 46 gold medals at stake in the Khelo India Beach Games are being awarded in pencak silat, an Indonesian martial art form. On Day 4 on Thursday, hosts Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (DNHDD) and Manipur have won all their four gold medals in pencak silat while Maharashtra, who are now on top of the medal tally, have won two gold medals each in open water swimming and pencak silat. For DNHDD, Prasanna Narendra Bendre is becoming quite a star after winning his second individual pencak silat gold.

While Nagaland also won two pencak silat golds on Thursday, the penultimate day of the competition, Jammu & Kashmir clinched their first gold when Sajad Ahmad Beigh walloped Sohil Gurung (Odisha) 9-0 in the senior male class C 55-60kg standing (combat) category final.

Matches in the six medal disciplines are being played over two sessions – morning and evening. Late on Wednesday, Haryana bagged their second gold medal in the Sepak Takraw competition on the Ghoghla Beach in Diu. Following the women’s trio team gold, the Haryana men’s team clinched the yellow metal in the doubles event.

The Haryana sepak takraw boys’ team beat Goa 2-0 (15-4, 15-11) in their final match. In the girls’ doubles event, Kerala beat Odisha 2-0 (15-4, 15-9) with ease. Delhi, meanwhile, earned its second medal in Sepak Takraw with a bronze in the men’s double event. The team had won gold in the men’s trio team event earlier.

With the threat of a cyclone looming large on the western coast, Friday will be the last day of all the events. Several finals are lined up in both sessions, and all attention will be on sepak takraw, kabaddi, soccer and volleyball

RESULTS (all finals)

5km OPEN SWIMMING

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

PENCAK SILAT (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).

SEPAK TAKRAW results finals:

(Doubles) Men: Final: Haryana 2-0 Goa; Bronze: Telangana, Bihar
Women: Final: Kerala 2-0 Odisha; Bronze: Andhra Pradesh, Delhi

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Men’s Quarterfinals: Tamil Nadu 2-0 Telangana; Kerala 2-0 Jammu & Kashmir; Puducherry 2-0 Chhattisgarh; Tamil Nadu 2-0 Telangana
Women’s quarterfinals: Tamil Nadu 2-0 Telangana; Andhra Pradesh 2-0 Diu; Puducherry 2-0 Tamil Nadu; Kerala 2-1 Kerala

BEACH SOCCER

(Women) Madhya Pradesh 6-1 Andhra Pradesh in Group B
(Men) Maharashtra 6-5 Gujarat in Group B. (ANI)