Home favourite Princess Alexander Thomas of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu clinched the first gold medal of the Khelo India Beach Games (KIBG) 2026 with a confident performance in the women’s Tunngal category in Pencak Silat. Raja Das of West Bengal emerged victorious in the men’s Tunngal at Ghoghla Beach on Tuesday.
With two medals up for grabs on the second day of competition, the hosts were in contention to win both gold medals, just like last year. Princess Alexander Thomas gave them a perfect start, defeating Bhoomika Jitendra Jain of Madhya Pradesh in the women’s final.
Last edition’s gold medallist Prasanna Bendre was the favourite in the men’s final against Raja Das, but the West Bengal athlete showcased better technical ability to prevail over the home favourite.
The KIBG 2026, organised by the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, is held under the technical supervision of the Sports Authority of India and national sports federations. This second edition will see over 1100 participants compete in eight different sports—volleyball, soccer, sepak takraw, kabaddi, pencak silat, open water swimming, mallakhamb, and tug-of-war. The first six will be medal sports, with 32 gold medals up for grabs.
In Beach Kabaddi, competition for the semifinal spots heated up as Haryana registered their second straight win in Pool A, beating Maharashtra 47-26. Both teams were neck and neck in the first 10 minutes, but once the Maharashtra players started to slow down in the sand, the Haryana women took control of the game.
In the men’s section, Uttar Pradesh dominated Andhra Pradesh in Pool A, winning as many as three touch points in one raid at times. The Andhra team fought hard and attempted quality raids, but ultimately lost 43-34.
In Beach Soccer, favourites Kerala kicked off their campaign with a dominating 15-2 win over Karnataka, where all four of their first team outfield players scored three goals each. Hosts Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu also displayed their prowess, defeating Himachal Pradesh 15-1.
In the evening session, Gujarat women spoiled Himachal Pradesh’s hopes for an upset win, dominating the Group B encounter to secure a 9-0 victory. Himachal Pradesh women, in their Beach Soccer debut, had defeated the hosts 7-5 on Monday in their group opener.
Group matches also began in Beach Volleyball, with teams from Goa, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh making a winning start to their campaigns.
TODAY’S RESULTS
Pencak Silat:
(Women) Tunggal: Gold – Princess Alexander Thomas (DNH&DD); Silver – Bhoomika Jitendra Jain (MP); Bronze – Simran (CHD), Kirnakshi Yewale (Mah)
(Men) Tunggal: Gold – Raja Das (WB); Silver – Prasanna Bendre (DNH&DD); Bronze – Abhishek Gautam (Del), Srikant V (TN)
Beach Kabaddi
(Women): Pool A – Haryana bt Maharashtra 47-26, Punjab bt Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 63-11; Pool B – Rajasthan bt Himachal Pradesh 59-24
(Men): Pool A – Uttar Pradesh bt Andhra Pradesh 43-34, Haryana bt Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 55-19; Pool B – Rajasthan bt Delhi 57-32
Beach Soccer
(Women) Group A: Arunachal Pradesh bt Maharashtra 9-1; Group B: Gujarat bt Himachal Pradesh 9-0
(Men) Group B: Kerala bt Karnataka 15-2; Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu bt Himachal Pradesh 15-1.