Dal Lake Shikarawalla Wins Gold for Jammu Kashmir at Khelo India Water Sports Festival

SRINAGAR: 17-year-old Mohsin Ali Kand, a Shikara rower and the son of a carpenter, delivered a dream performance at Dal Lake on Thursday by winning the first gold medal of the Khelo India Water Sports Festival (KIWSF) 2025 for Jammu and Kashmir in the men’s 1000-metre kayaking event.

Clocking an impressive 4:12:717, Mohsin edged out more experienced and better-equipped athletes to claim a memorable victory in front of a cheering home crowd. Overcome with emotion, the Class 12 student from SP Higher Secondary School was seen hugging his coach, Bilquis Mir, a former international paddler and Olympic judge.

“It was my father who inspired me to take up water sports,” Mohsin said, dedicating the win to his father, Fida Hussain Kand, who supports a five-member family as a lower-middle-class carpenter. Despite financial constraints, Mohsin manages to balance school, training, and rowing a Shikara to earn money to buy the protein-rich diet needed for his sport.

A resident of Kand Mohalla inside Dal Lake, Mohsin started paddling at age of 7 and trained under the Jammu and Kashmir Kayaking and Canoeing Association, which he credited for providing necessary support and facilities.

His win is especially notable given his limited exposure to national-level competitions. “I may not have competed as widely as others, but training in the high-altitude waters of Kashmir has built my stamina,” he said.

Mohsin dreams of representing India in the Asian Games, World Championships, and Olympics, and sees this gold medal as the first step towards realising that goal.

The Khelo India Water Sports Festival, being held from August 21–23 on Dal Lake, features six disciplines including kayaking, rowing, canoeing, water skiing, shikara race, and dragon boat race. It marks the second Khelo India event hosted in Jammu and Kashmir, following the Winter Games in Gulmarg.

The KIWSF 2025 has participation from 36 states and Union Territories and is part of the Government of India’s larger Khelo India mission to identify grassroots talent and promote a sporting culture across the country.