Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh Excel on Wrestling's First Day at Khelo India Tribal Games 2026
Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh Shine in Wrestling
On the inaugural day of wrestling at the Khelo India Tribal Games 2026 in Raipur, Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh each secured two gold medals. Meanwhile, Mizoram concluded the weightlifting events with two golds, marking the fifth day of the competition.
Jharkhand's gold medals were achieved by Poonam Oraon, who triumphed in the women's 50kg final against Telangana's Geetha K with a score of 6-3. Additionally, Anjit Kumar Munda claimed victory in the men's 67kg Greco-Roman final, defeating Mukesh Vasva from Gujarat through technical superiority. Himachal Pradesh's golds came from Navish Kumar in the 97kg Greco-Roman category and Priyanka Chaudhary in the women's 62kg event. Mizoram's gold medalists included Zosangzuali in the women's +86kg and David Zohmingmawia in the men's +110kg, bringing their total gold count to four and elevating them to fifth place in the overall medal standings.
Karnataka Maintains Lead; Chhattisgarh Drops
Karnataka remains at the top of the overall medal tally with 15 golds, six silvers, and four bronzes. Odisha follows in second place with nine golds, four silvers, and ten bronzes. Hosts Chhattisgarh, which secured a silver through Rishika Kashyap and a bronze via Lucky Babu Markam in weightlifting, has fallen to ninth in the standings.
Other States Shine in Competitions
In weightlifting, Sambo Lapung's performance helped Arunachal Pradesh surpass Assam to claim third place, as he won the men's 100kg gold with a total lift of 299kg. Mizoram's David Lal Zawmdika took the silver with 270kg, while Chhattisgarh's Lucky Babu earned bronze with 261kg.
Maharashtra also made significant progress in the medal standings, with Sakshi Burkule winning their second gold in the women's 86kg category, lifting a total of 150kg—29kg more than silver medalist Rishika Kashyap from Chhattisgarh. Following her, wrestler Vinod Salkar added another gold for Maharashtra in the men's 125kg freestyle competition.
Jammu and Kashmir opened their medal account on Sunday, securing a gold and a silver in wrestling. Munir Hussain won the men's 74kg freestyle gold by defeating Maharashtra's Vikram Pawar with a score of 11-1, while Shama Hoon earned silver after losing to Himachal Pradesh's Navish Kumar in the 97kg Greco-Roman final.