Gulmarg, Feb 25: Bhavani Thekkeda Nanjunda, a 30-year-old from Kodagu, Karnataka, scripted history at the Khelo India Winter Games 2026 by clinching gold in the Nordic 1.5-km women’s sprint at Gulmarg Golf Course. This victory adds to her two bronze medals in the 15-km and 10-km relays this season, cementing her status as a pioneer in Indian cross-country skiing.

Bhavani’s journey is extraordinary. Born and raised in the coffee-scented hills of southern India, she did not see snow until the age of 23. With no local ski trails or winter sports culture, she began as a mountaineer in 2014, later becoming a certified ski instructor and mastering a sport foreign to her region. Despite financial and infrastructural challenges, her determination propelled her to international competitions, including the FIS South America Cup, where she became the first Indian woman to medal in a Federation Internationale de Ski et de Snowboard (FIS)-accredited event. She also represented India at the 2023 and 2025 Nordic World Championships.
“Though I participate in winter sports, my parents have never seen snow. This is for them,” Bhavani said after crossing the finish line. She credits her father’s unwavering belief and institutions like the Army’s High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS), Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering (IISM), and Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports (JIM & WS) for opening doors for athletes from non-snow regions.
Supported by the Reliance Foundation, which sponsors six girls nationwide, Bhavani emphasizes the growing interest in winter sports and encourages youth from unlikely landscapes to take up the challenge. Her sights are now set on the 2029 Asian Winter Games in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
From the red hills of Kodagu to the snow-covered peaks of Gulmarg, Bhavani Nanjunda’s journey is a testament to perseverance, vision, and the triumph of dreams against all odds.