· Ritu scripts double gold as India tighten grip
· Argentina rise to second; Nepal, Japan, USA strike gold
Ahmedabad : India’s domination of the inaugural World Yogasana Championships showed no signs of slowing on Saturday as the hosts surged to 22 gold medals, opening a massive gap over the rest of the field and turning the global competition into a showcase of home supremacy.
With athletes winning across categories and disciplines, India tightened its grip on the medals table, amassing 22 gold, five silver and one bronze medal by the end of the third day.
The nearest challenger, Argentina, remained a distant second with just two gold and two silver medals, highlighting the gulf between the hosts and the chasing pack.
The championships, billed as a landmark event in the internationalisation of Yogasana and its push for recognition as a competitive sport, have so far been defined by one overwhelming theme — India’s complete command.
Indian athletes featured prominently in nearly every final contested on Saturday, sweeping key events in traditional, forward bend, back bend and twisting body categories. The hosts’ relentless medal haul left countries such as Singapore, Nepal, Japan and the United States battling for podium finishes rather than challenging for overall honours.
Among the standout performers was Ritu Mondal, who became the first Indian athlete to win two gold medals at the championships. After claiming the country’s first gold medal earlier in the week in the Traditional Yogasana Senior A Female category, Mondal added another title to cap a memorable campaign.
While India’s dominance remained the headline story, a handful of foreign athletes produced performances that prevented a complete home sweep.
Argentina’s Nabila Sol Barraza strengthened her reputation as one of the tournament’s biggest stars, winning her second gold medal in three days in the Twisting Body Senior A Female category. Her exploits lifted Argentina to second place in the standings and made her the most successful overseas athlete at the championships so far.
Nepal also emerged as a significant contender among the visiting teams. Durga Panta clinched gold in the Forward Bend Senior C Female event, helping Nepal climb to fourth place on the medals table with one gold, six silver and three bronze medals.
Japan’s Miyoko Kusunoki secured gold in the Traditional Yogasana Senior C Female category, while Kemi Blake handed the United States its first title after winning the Back Bend Senior B Male competition.
The Indian charge, however, remained relentless.
Dileep Kumar struck gold in the Forward Bend Senior C Male event, Birendra Yadav topped the Back Bend Senior C Male category and Gayatri Devi won the Back Bend Senior C Female title. In the Twisting Body discipline, India added three more gold medals through Anurag Malik, Kudumula Vanaja and Inderjeet, further widening the gap between the hosts and their rivals.
Argentina moved into second position overall, overtaking Singapore, which slipped to third despite maintaining two gold medals. Nepal’s steady stream of podium finishes made it one of the biggest gainers of the day.
The championship, the first-ever world event in Yogasana, is being viewed as a crucial step in transforming an ancient Indian practice into a globally recognised sporting discipline. Yet as the competition enters its decisive phase, the results have also underlined India’s overwhelming technical superiority in a sport it pioneered.
