Gulmarg (J&K): In the hushed powder of Gulmarg’s Golf Course, Kajal Kumari Rai crossed the finish line without fanfare. She slowed her skis, breath clouding in the crisp air, gaze lost somewhere beyond the cheering crowd and fluttering flags. For a heartbeat, she stood still and then the weight of it landed.Another gold. Her second in two days at the ongoing Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) here. On Monday, the 25-year-old from Meghalaya won gold in the Nordic Women’s 15-km sprint. On Tuesday, she claimed gold again in the 10-km sprint, sweeping both events and turning profound grief into triumph.Her father had died unexpectedly in February last year, just days before the KIWG 2025. Kajal rushed home to Shillong for the last rites, grief lingering long after. She raced then, but her body moved while her spirit stayed behind. In that silence, the CRPF cross-country athlete made a promise to herself that ‘she would return and win for her father’. Two races, two golds, one promise fulfilled. The feat stands out because Kajal hails from Meghalaya. Nordic skiing was unimaginable there. She began only in 2024, with no family tradition, no childhood winters on skis, only determination. For three weeks she trained intensely at the Indian Army’s High Altitude Warfare School in Gulmarg, mastering technique, survival, and belonging in the mountains. “They improved our skills and gave us confidence,” she said.Kashmir’s vast silence and perfect powder soon felt like home. Her resilience was shaped earlier, in the CRPF, where endurance defines the job. There she discovered winter sports, watched Army athletes chase Olympic dreams, and dared to imagine her own.She credits fellow CRPF soldier Lokesh Kumar for sparking belief, but credits consistency most. “I saw athletes from places without facilities succeed,” she said. “I decided not to complain, just focus.”Now, double gold around her neck, Kajal is no longer merely a skier from a snowless state. She is a champion who honored her father’s memory. Her journey, she says, has only just begun, with dreams now fixed on competing at the Olympics and World Championships.Army goes on top of medal tally: On a day when honours were shared, Army struck their fourth gold in the Gulmarg leg of KIWG to go on top of the medal standings on Tuesday. Haryana continue to occupy the second position with four gold medals, all coming from their skaters in Leh but Maharashtra is only a gold adrift.Kamiyaa Karthikeyan gave Maharashtra their first gold from the ski mountaineering (vertical) competition on Gulmarg’s Kongdoori slopes.
