Gulmarg, Feb 26: For most of her life, 26-year-old Renu Danu had seen snow only in films and photographs. Growing up in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, winters meant cold winds and foggy mornings — never the pristine white expanse that defines Gulmarg.
When she first saw real snowfall at 24, she did not touch it. She simply stood still, watching it descend from the sky, as if confirming it was real.
Two years later, Renu stood on the podium at the Khelo India Winter Games 2026 in Gulmarg, three silver medals hanging around her neck.
The CRPF constable had achieved what once seemed improbable — conquering not just snow-clad slopes, but the doubts that come with starting from scratch at an age when most athletes are nearing their peak.
“My story doesn’t begin on ski tracks or in winter sports academies,” Renu told Kashmir Convener. “It begins on the dusty grounds of Haldwani, where I ran races and played kabaddi, unknowingly building the endurance that would one day carry me across frozen valleys.”
Her father, Danu Ram, is a truck driver. Her mother manages the household. One brother serves in the Indian Air Force, while another runs a business.
“Sports was always there,” she said, gazing at the snow-covered mountains around Gulmarg. “But opportunity was not.”
Academics and responsibilities took priority. Sport had to wait.
That changed in 2021 when she joined the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) as a Constable (General Duty). What began as a search for stability gradually became the gateway to an entirely new life.
Posted to Srinagar in 2024, Renu was introduced to competitive winter sports. Within a month of training, she participated in her first major event — the Khelo India Winter Games 2024.
She did not win. She did not contend for a medal. But she finished.
“I was new. I didn’t know the techniques, but I completed the races,” she said quietly. For most athletes, finishing is routine. For Renu, it was defiance — and the beginning of belief.
In 2025, she returned stronger, finishing fourth in a Nordic event before clinching silver in the Ski Mountaineering Relay. Later that year, she won gold at the National Winter Biathlon Championship in Gulmarg.
Her finest performance came this week.
At the Khelo India Winter Games 2026, Renu secured a remarkable hat-trick of silver medals — in the women’s Nordic 15 km, the women’s Nordic 1.5 km sprint, and the women’s Ski Mountaineering Relay.
“Standing on the podium with three silver medals felt surreal,” she said with a shy smile.
The Army’s High Altitude Warfare School became her training ground. Olympian coach Nadeem Iqbal refined her technique, while CRPF coach K. Shukla and team manager Magesh K. reinforced her belief.
“When she joined, she knew nothing about winter sports,” Shukla said. “But she worked harder than anyone. I see her competing at the World Championships — even the Olympics.”
Back in Haldwani, her family follows her journey from afar.
“They understand cricket and football,” Renu laughed. “Nordic skiing and ski mountaineering are new to them. But they understand dedication. They watch my race videos and try to learn. They are my biggest strength.”
Training opportunities, however, remain limited.
“We only get two months of training each year,” she said. “Imagine what we could achieve with year-round facilities.”
She hopes for artificial snow tracks, improved gyms and sustained infrastructure — not only for herself, but for the next generation.
“Some girls think winter sports demand too much endurance,” she said. “But if someone from the dusty grounds of Haldwani can do this, anyone can.”
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