Manipur, Nagaland dominate pencak silat at Khelo India Beach Games

Manipur and Nagaland fighters showcased their martial arts prowess at the first Khelo India Beach Games, sweeping pencak silat gold medals on Thursday, while Maharashtra swimmer Diksha Yadav added to her collection with a second consecutive victory in open sea swimming.

The northeastern states made their mark in the Indonesian martial art form, with Manipur securing two gold medals through Dolly Leishangthem in the senior female under-45kg category and Thounaojam Rita Chanu in the senior female class A 45-50kg division. Nagaland matched this achievement with victories from Jon in the senior male class A 45-50kg final and Like Kibani in the senior female class C 55-60kg category.

Leishangthem delivered a nail-biting performance, edging out Chandigarh's Reena 13-12 in a closely contested final, while Rita Chanu dominated her bout against Uttarakhand's Gaytri Negi with an 18-9 victory. For Nagaland, Jon overcame Maharashtra's Ramchandra Deepak Badak 22-15, and Kibani defeated Manipur's Hijam Merina Devi 26-17 in an all-northeast final.

The strong showing from these states highlights the growing prominence of pencak silat in India's northeastern region, where martial arts traditions run deep. Twenty-eight of the 46 gold medals available at these beach games are being contested in pencak silat, making it the most significant discipline at the event.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra's Diksha Yadav continued her dominance in open water swimming, claiming her second gold medal in as many days. The 19-year-old completed the challenging 5-kilometre race in the Arabian Sea in 1 hour, 10 minutes and 12 seconds, finishing just 13 seconds ahead of teammate Purva Gawade. This victory followed her triumph in Wednesday's 10-kilometre race.

Host territory Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu also celebrated, with Prasanna Narendra Bendre becoming a standout performer by winning his second individual pencak silat gold in the senior male under-45kg category, defeating Uttar Pradesh's Prashant 45-8.

Jammu and Kashmir broke their gold medal drought when Sajad Ahmad Beigh delivered a commanding 9-0 victory over Odisha's Sohil Gurung in the senior male class C 55-60kg combat category.

Maharashtra currently leads the overall medal tally, having secured victories across multiple disciplines including open water swimming and pencak silat.

In another action, Haryana claimed their second sepak takraw gold medal with their men's doubles team defeating Goa 2-0 in the final. Kerala's women's doubles team also secured gold with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Odisha.

Competition organisers have announced that Friday will be the final day of events due to an approaching cyclone threatening the western coast. The remaining finals will feature sepak takraw, kabaddi, soccer, and volleyball competitions across morning and evening sessions at the Ghoghla Beach venue in Diu.