Leh, Jan 23: Seventeen-year-old Gauri Rai produced a composed and confident performance to win gold in the advanced figure skating category at the first leg of the Khelo India Winter Games 2026, held at the Nawang Dorjay Stobdan Stadium (NDS) in Leh. With figure skating making its debut at the Games, Gauri’s effort placed her firmly in the record books as the first champion of the discipline at the national winter meet.
Hailing from Haryana and currently based in Gurugram, Gauri outscored strong competition, including pre-event favourite Jessy Raj Mathrapu of Andhra Pradesh. The contest, however, tested her endurance, with the young skater admitting that the high-altitude conditions of Leh posed an unexpected challenge.
“I was not fully confident going in. I was out of breath during my performance because I am not used to this altitude, so I couldn’t give my best,” Gauri said after the event. “Jessy had a fall, and that changed the standings. That worked in my favour, but it was still a tough outing.”
Gauri’s journey to the ice rink has been far from conventional. She began her sporting career in roller skating and spent years honing her skills on wheels before a chance encounter altered her path. In 2017, watching a figure skating demonstration at a Gurugram mall convinced her to switch disciplines. “I wanted something that combined speed with grace. Once I saw figure skating, I knew that was it,” she recalled. “From quads to inline skating and then to figure skating, it has been a long learning curve.”
Her progress since then has been steady. Representing India, Gauri won a silver medal at the UAE Figure Skating Championship in Dubai in 2022 and has competed in events across South Korea, Singapore, the Philippines and Bulgaria. Despite her growing international exposure, the Leh gold came as a surprise even to her.
“My mother was always confident that I would win,” Gauri said with a smile. “After the results came out, we had a family video call. Everyone was celebrating and already talking about a party.”
The Class XII student of Manav Rachna International School, Gurugram, also praised the organisation of the Winter Games and the decision to include figure skating. She credited the Sports Authority of India for the arrangements in Leh, pointing to the quality of the ice surface at NDS, along with accommodation, food and transport provided to athletes. She also underlined the role of broadcast and print media in giving visibility to a sport still finding its footing in the country.
“Figure skating is new in India, and coverage from platforms like DD Sports helps people understand and follow it,” she said.
While optimistic about the sport’s future, Gauri did not shy away from highlighting the gaps in infrastructure. “International skaters train for up to 16 hours a day. In India, we simply don’t have enough Olympic-size artificial ice rinks,” she said. “At present, there are only two such facilities, including one in Dehradun. If we want more quality skaters, this has to change.”
Next on her calendar is an International Skating Union seminar scheduled for March or April, where athletes are assessed for readiness to compete at global events. For Gauri Rai, the gold in Leh is not a finish line but a step towards higher standards — and a call for better support systems to match international demands.
