Ahmedabad, Jun 8: India ended their campaign at the inaugural World Yogasana Championships with 114 medals, including 102 gold, to underline their domination here on Monday.
Japan were a distant second with three gold, three silver and five bronze with Argentina taking the third spot thanks to their lone athlete Nabila Barraza’s exploit of winning two gold and three silver.
Nepal were the second most successful contingent in terms of number of medals won as they clinched a total of 52 medals (1 gold, 36 silver, 15 bronze) to finish fifth on the medal standings.
Uzbekistan finished with 25 medals, with one gold, 13 silver and 11 bronze.
The Championships concluded on Monday.
In all, 522 athletes from 79 countries participated in the Championships with 31 of them winning at least one medal each. Ten of those managed to win at least one gold medal.
Hosts India had fielded a 122-member contingent, with athletes competing across six age categories — Sub-Junior Men and Women (10-14 years), Junior Men and Women (14-18 years), Senior (18-28 years), Senior A (28-35 years), Senior B (35-45 years) and Senior C (45-55 years).
In a video message, World Yogasana President Swami Ramdev described the Championship as the beginning of a global movement.
“World Yogasana Championship is not the destination; it is the beginning of a global movement. Yoga is not merely a sport — it is a way of life, a path to health, harmony, peace and human unity. Every athlete here is not just a champion, but an ambassador of yoga to the world.
“Today we celebrate medals and champions, but tomorrow we must create a world connected through yoga. I firmly believe that the journey which began here will one day take Yogasana to the Olympic stage and inspire generations across the globe,” he said.
The inaugural championships marks a historic milestone in the evolution of Yogasana, transforming an ancient Indian practice into a globally competitive sporting discipline while strengthening its pathway towards Olympic recognition. (PTI)
