Gulmarg, Feb 25, Feb. 26 -- Bhavani Thekkeda Nanjunda, a 30-year-old from Kodagu, Karnataka, scripted history at the Khelo India Winter Games 2026 by clinching gold in the Nordic 1.5-km women's sprint at Gulmarg Golf Course. This victory adds to her two bronze medals in the 15-km and 10-km relays this season, cementing her status as a pioneer in Indian cross-country skiing. Bhavani's journey is extraordinary. Born and raised in the coffee-scented hills of southern India, she did not see snow until the age of 23. With no local ski trails or winter sports culture, she began as a mountaineer in 2014, later becoming a certified ski instructor and mastering a sport foreign to her region. Despite financial and infrastructural challenges, her de...