Army dominate as Winter Games close early

Snowfall leading to near zero visibility brought the curtains down on the fifth National Winter Games in Gulmarg on Friday as Army led the tables with seven gold, three silver and six bronze medals in the six-day extravaganza.

The mesmeric slopes of Kongdori, close to 10,000 ft above sea level, and the picturesque Gulmarg Golf Course were the hub of all activities during the multi-sport event.

Army men, perhaps the best prepared to compete in the tournament, unsurprisingly walked away with most of the top honours.

There were some unexpected podium finishers as well, most notably from states like Maharashtra, which came third behind hosts J&K and Delhi.

The weather was unpredictable and after bright sunshine on the first four days, the slopes of Gulmarg received continuous snowfall that made it a tougher test of endurance for the skiers.

However, the 500 odd men and women braved the conditions and helped in showcasing Gulmarg as a perfect venue to match north American and European cities for holding international winter events.

Events like the biathlon, an awe-inspiring combination of skiing and shooting, the toughest event and being organised only for the second time in the tournament were just perfect for the Army men.

They walked away with most of the top honours and the team of Tashi Lundup, Angchok Dorji and Gupta Bahadur Gurung had the most podium finishes, combining both the individual and team events in cross country, slalom and biathlon.

Among the women, it was Himachal girl Bhubneshvari, who ended up being the most decorated, bagging two gold medals  freestyle cross country (5km) and freestyle cross-country (10km).

Hosts J&K took the second and third position through Mehjabeen and Masooda respectively.

The tournament, which also doubled up as a selection trial for the upcoming international events, would prove instrumental also in giving a fillip to Gulmarg's status as major tourist attraction.

At the end of it, the Games proved to be a perfect blend of chills and thrills and though another spell of snow brought the visibility down to almost zero, Gulmarg shone in all its glory, giving a good account of itself as a contender to host the Commonwealth Winter Games in near future.