Khelo India Water Sports Festival 2025: Madhya Pradesh Dominates, Wins All Four Golds on Day 2

Srinagar: Madhya Pradesh dominated Day 2 of the Khelo India Water Sports Festival at Dal Lake on Friday, clinching all four gold medals on offer.

Hosts Jammu and Kashmir added a silver to their tally, while Odisha secured two more silvers, keeping them in second place in the medal standings, according to a release from SAI Media.

All four canoeing and kayaking finals took place in the afternoon. Madhya Pradesh, a powerhouse in water sports, won their first gold in the men’s 500m K-2 kayaking doubles and maintained their lead on the leaderboard.

So far, seven golds have been awarded. On the final day, Saturday, 17 more medals will be decided, including 10 in rowing. With top rowers from the Services and all 28 states and Union Territories competing, a fierce contest is expected. All events are Olympic medal events.

Gold medallists Niharika Singh and Chandrakala Kushwaha, winners of the women’s K-2 500m kayaking doubles, said they were delighted to compete in Kashmir and credited the Sports Authority of India for their preparation.

Sudhir Kumar and Prince Goswami, who claimed gold in the men’s C-2 500m canoeing event, said they had previously won bronze in the 2024 and 2025 national championships. They are now preparing for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan. “We loved the competition here,” they said. “Khelo India is an excellent platform for young athletes.”

Dally Bishnoi, winner of the women’s K-1 500m kayaking event, described her gold medal as a major milestone. She aims to bring glory to India at the Asian Games and the Olympics and plans to train intensely for future success.

Results (All finals):

• Kayaking – K2 500m Men:

1. Aditya Singh & Manjeet (Madhya Pradesh) – 01:41.59
2. Shantosh Khwairakpam & Naoram James Singh (Odisha) – 01:44.50
3. Vishal Dangi & Aditya Saini (Uttarakhand) – 01:45.20

• Canoeing – C2 500m Men:

1. Sudhir Kumar & Prince Goswami (Madhya Pradesh) – 01:50.94
2. Mohammad Hussain & Sajad Hussain (J&K) – 01:52.61
3. Pradeep Kumar & Abhay (Uttar Pradesh) – 01:53.99

• Kayaking – K1 500m Women:

1. Dally Bishnoi (Madhya Pradesh) – 02:11.09
2. Pukhrambamroji Devi (Uttarakhand) – 02:14.06
3. Nikita Sarkar (Kerala) – 02:22.15

• Kayaking – K2 500m Women:

1. Niharika Singh & Chandrakala Kushwaha (Madhya Pradesh) – 02:04.64
2. Bidya Devi Oinam & Shruti Tanaji Chougule (Odisha) – 02:08.10
3. Arathy Renjith & Heera Alphons (Kerala) – 02:09.65