Srinagar/Gulmarg, Feb. 25 -- Bhavani Thekkeda Nanjunda, a 30-year-old cross-country skier from Karnataka, clinched the gold medal in the women's Nordic 1.5-km sprint at the Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) 2026 in Gulmarg on Tuesday, capping a journey that began far from snow in the coffee plantations of Kodagu.

Competing at the snow-covered Gulmarg Golf Course, nearly 8,700 feet above sea level, Bhavani produced a powerful finish to take the top spot. The victory adds to her two bronze medals this season in the 15-km and 10-km relay events.

For Bhavani, the win carried personal meaning beyond the podium.

"This is for my parents," she said after the race. "Though I participate in winter sports, my mother and father have never seen snow....