Defending champions Kerala men and Odisha women registered contrasting victories to retain their Beach Soccer gold medals in the Khelo India Beach Games (KIBG) 2026 at the Ghoghla Beach in Diu on Friday.
With just one day remaining in the second edition of KIBG 2026, Madhya Pradesh surged to the top of the medals tally, securing two gold medals in Pencak Silat. Sarun Sonwane (Male 70-75kg) and Mahendra Swami (Male 85-90kg) won in their respective weight categories, elevating the state’s tally to three gold, one silver, and one bronze.
Haryana stood second with two gold, four silver, and two bronze, while hosts Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu claimed third place with two gold, two silver, and four bronze medals.
The Khelo India Beach Games 2026, organized by the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, is taking place under the technical supervision of the Sports Authority of India and national sports federations. The event features over 1100 participants competing across eight different sports—volleyball, soccer, sepaktakraw, kabaddi, pencak silat, open water swimming, mallakhamb, and tug-of-war.
Kerala and Odisha Shine in Beach Soccer Finals
In the Beach Soccer finals, Kerala men thrashed Goa 8-2, while Odisha women triumphed over Gujarat 2-1. The men’s final saw Kerala start strong with two early goals within the first two minutes. Although Goa’s Abel Gurjao managed to reduce the deficit in the eighth minute, Kerala restored their lead just a minute later. By the end of the second quarter, Kerala had extended their lead to 6-1 and comfortably retained their title.
In the women’s final, Khundongbam Ambalika scored the decisive goal in the 28th minute for Odisha after both teams were tied 1-1 at halftime. Manisha Naik had initially put Odisha ahead in the 13th minute, but Gujarat equalized a minute later through Bhumisha Dravid.
Anurag and Ashmita Excel in Open Water Swimming
Earlier, Anurag Singh from Uttar Pradesh and Ashmita Chandra from Karnataka secured the men’s and women’s gold medals in the 10km Open Water Swimming competition. Anurag, participating in his first Khelo India Beach Games, finished with a time of 2:22:02, a significant 16 minutes ahead of silver medalist Akshaj P.
Trained in Delhi under the guidance of his father, Anurag prepared for KIBG with intense endurance training over the last month, resulting in a race where he faced minimal challenges.
Rajasthan Dominates Beach Kabaddi
Rajasthan made a significant impact by clinching both the men’s and women’s gold medals in Beach Kabaddi, overcoming strong Haryana teams. In the women’s final, Rajasthan defeated Haryana 47-27, while their men secured a 43-36 victory for a remarkable double win.
Haryana’s Beach Sepaktakraw team ensured they captured at least one gold on Friday after defeating Uttar Pradesh 15-8, 15-7. In the men’s final, Bihar edged out Andhra Pradesh 15-13, 15-13.
TODAY’S RESULTS
Beach Pencak Silat
Women Tanding
Class D 60-65kg: Gold – Nyia K Thono (Nag); Silver – Chetna Tanwar (Har); Bronze – Piyu Das (Odi), Meko Liyak (Arunachal Pradesh)
Men Tanding
Class D 60-65kg: Gold – Shahid Hilal (J&K); Silver – Vinay (Har); Bronze – Suraj Yadav (UP), Ashish Sharma (DND&D)
Class E 65-70kg: Gold – Saliq Bin Farooq (J&K); Silver – Ashish Kumar Singh (Del); Bronze – Suraj Gora (Raj), Sheikh Arbaj Ali (Cht)
Class F 70-75kg: Gold – Sarun Sonawane (MP); Silver – Chetan Prajapati (Utr); Bronze – Hansda Akash (DNH&D), Sarfaraz Ali (J&K)
Class I 85-90kg: Gold – Mahendra Swami (MP); Silver – Arvinder Singh (J&K); Bronze – Ravi Choudhary (Raj), Rudra Pratap Sadangi (Odi)
Class J 90-95kg: Gold – Kitenlo K Thono (Nag); Silver – Saleen Sultan (J&K); Bronze – Chaina Ram Sepat (Raj), Gautam (Har)
Beach Kabaddi
Women: Gold – Rajasthan; Silver – Haryana; Bronze – Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra
Men: Gold – Rajasthan; Silver – Haryana; Bronze – Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh
Beach Soccer
Women: Gold – Odisha; Silver – Gujarat; Bronze – Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh
Men: Gold – Kerala; Silver – Goa; Bronze – Karnataka, Maharashtra
Beach Sepaktakraw
Women Quad: Gold – Haryana; Silver – Uttar Pradesh; Bronze – Odisha, Nagaland
Men Quad: Gold – Bihar; Silver – Andhra Pradesh; Bronze – Haryana, Delhi
Open Water Swimming
Women 10km: Gold – Ashmitha Chandra (Kar) 2:46:34s; Silver – Aasra Sudhir (Kar) 2:47:57s; Bronze – Diksha Yadav (Mah) 2:49:04s
Men Regu: Gold – Anurag Singh (UP) 2:22:02s; Silver – Akshaj P (Kar) 2:38:27s; Bronze – Kanishka S A (Kar) 2:41.51s