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Odisha bagged the first runners-up trophy with a harvest of 10 medals in the inaugural Khelo India Water Sports Festival (KIWSF) that concluded at the Dal Lake in Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir) today. The 10 medals featured four gold, five silver and one bronze.
Madhya Pradesh emerged champions, bagging 10 gold, three silver and 5 bronze for a total of 18 medals, while Kerala finished second runners-up, winning seven medals, including three gold, one silver and three bronze.
Out of the 10 medals Odisha won in the three-day festival, six came in canoeing & kayaking, and four in rowing. Athletes of Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre of Excellence (CoE), located at Jagatpur, Cuttack, won all 10 medals for Odisha.
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The 15-member Odisha squad, secured three gold and three silver in canoeing & kayaking; and one gold, two silver and one bronze in rowing. But the number of native athletes in the Odisha squad was only three. They were: Rasmita Sahoo, Sonali Swain and Monali Das. Rest were from Manipur, Haryana and Maharashtra.
Choudwar (Cuttack) canoeist Rasmita was the cynosure of all eyes at the KIWSF, grabbing two gold medals. She won one gold each in the C1 women 200m and C2 women 500m events. Among the Odisha medal winners, only three were native athletes. Besides Rasmita, other two were women rowers Sonali Swain and Sonalika Das,
Organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council, in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the 1st KIWSF, featured six sports disciplines, which were: rowing, canoeing, kayaking, water skiing, shikara race and dragon boat race. Over 400 athletes from 36 states and Union Territories took part in this open-age meet.
ODISHA MEDAL WINNERS:
CANOEING:
Gold: Rasmita Sahoo, C1 women 200m (53.53 sec) 21 August 2025.
Gold: Rasmita Sahoo and Achoibam Sanatombi Devi, C2 women 500m (02.11.02 sec) 23 August 2025.
KAYAKING:
Gold: Bidya Devi Oinam, Shruti Tanaji Chougule, Leichonbam Sonia Devi, Konsam Yaiphatombi Devi, K4 women 500m sprint (01.50.89 sec) 23 August 2025.
Silver: Naorem James Singh. K1 mens 1000 mtr (4:14.68 sec) 21 August 2025.
Silver: Shantosh Khwairakpam & Naoram James Singh, K2 men 500m (01:44.50 secs) 22 August 2025.
Silver: Oinam Bidya Devi & Shruti Tanaji Chougule, K2 women 500m women (02.08.10 sec) 22 August 2025.
ROWING:
Gold: Aviraj, men 1000m single scull (03.27.54 sec) 23 August 2025.
Silver: Sweeti and Anshika Bharti, women 1000m lightweight double scull (03:38.43 3) 23 August 2025.
Silver: Bhagyashree Ghule and Gursharanpreet Singh Kaur, women 1000m double scull (03:43.200 secs) 23 August 2025.
Bronze: Sonali Swain, Anushka Patel, Sonalika Das and Arunprit Kaur, women 1000m coxless fours (03:33.77 sec) 23 August 2025.
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TOP: Odisha woman canoeist Rasmita Sahoo exults after winning her first of the two gold medals at the 1st Khelo India Water Sports Festival in Srinagar on 21 August 2025.
RIGHT: Odisha athletes and officials celebrate with the first runners-up trophy in Srinagar on 23 August 2025.
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