Karnataka and Chhattisgarh Excel on Day 8 of Khelo India Tribal Games

Karnataka and Chhattisgarh Shine

On Day 8 of the Khelo India Tribal Games (KITG), race walker Dasharath Talawar and middle-distance runner Nagini contributed two gold medals to Karnataka's leading tally. Meanwhile, Gajendra Thakur from Chhattisgarh secured a silver in the men's 800m, and their men's hockey team earned a bronze medal.

Talawar achieved a remarkable time of 45:13.85 seconds in the men's 10km race walk, leading a Karnataka 1-2 finish, with Darshan Bagadi following closely at 46:25.90 seconds. Gujarat's Sagarbhai Katara finished third with a time of 48:16.09 seconds at the Kreeda Parisar athletics track in Jagdalpur.

Nagini excelled in the women's 800m race, clinching gold with a time of 2:13.80 seconds, bringing Karnataka's total gold count to 21. The state has also secured eight silver and seven bronze medals, totaling 36.

Chhattisgarh's Gajendra Thakur earned the silver in the men's 800m with a time of 1:53.82 seconds, just behind Munda, who clocked 1:53.33 seconds. Thakur expressed his joy, noting that he began training for athletics only a year ago. He initially came for kabaddi trials but was encouraged by coaches to pursue track events, leading to his first national medal at home.

Earlier, Chhattisgarh's men's hockey team claimed bronze by defeating Madhya Pradesh 14-6, raising their medal tally to two gold, eight silver, and five bronze, placing them 10th overall.

Odisha and Jharkhand in the Chase

With only one day left for track and field events, Odisha, in second place, continued to pursue Karnataka, adding four gold medals on Wednesday to reach a total of 17 gold, 10 silver, and 16 bronze medals. Gold medalists included Davanidhi Munda (men's 800m), Roshan Khadia (men's 400m hurdles), Dipa Kisan (women's high jump), and Dhanmati Xess (women's javelin throw).

Jharkhand also improved their standing, securing two gold medals in the women's 400m hurdles and the 10km race walk, bringing their total to 19 medals, including nine gold, three silver, and seven bronze.

Football Action

In football, Chhattisgarh triumphed over Arunachal Pradesh with a score of 3-2, securing a spot in the finals against West Bengal. Captain Akhilesh Kumar Uikey was instrumental, scoring twice in the 34th and 66th minutes, while Manoj Kumar Lekam added another goal in the 75th minute. Despite a late surge from Arunachal Pradesh, with Rahul Goju Singpho scoring twice in the 81st and 86th minutes, they fell short.

In the other semi-final, West Bengal defeated Goa 5-2, with goals from Saurav Sabbar (27'), Dilip Oraon (36'), Bijay Murmu (42'), Rahul Murmu (45+1'), and Chaku Mandi (90+2').

Day 8 Results

Women

400m hurdles: Gold - Shivani Kumar (Jharkhand) 1:02.06s; Silver - Adithya KM (Kerala) 1:04.60s; Bronze - Basanti Majhi (Odisha) 1:05.89s

800m: Gold - Nagini (Karnataka) 2:13.80s; Silver - Purnima Sandil (Odisha) 2:15.88s; Bronze - Shanti Bai (Madhya Pradesh) 2:19.11s

10km race walk: Gold - Neha Xalxo (Jharkhand) 1:04:02.46s; Silver - Alish Ekka (Odisha) 1:04:59.12s; Bronze - Bethlyne Makri (Meghalaya) 1:05:18.62s

High Jump: Gold - Dipa Kisan (Odisha) 1.45m; Silver - Kahima Basumatary (Assam) 1.45m; Bronze - Kabita Tadingi (Odisha) 1.43m

Javelin: Gold - Dhanmati Xess (Odisha) 44.79m; Silver - Sabita Murmu (Jharkhand) 43.12m; Bronze - Apiksha Gamit (Gujarat) 41.77m

Men

400m hurdles: Gold - Roshan Khadia (Odisha) 53.41s; Silver - Dnyaneshwar Vali (Maharashtra) 54.02s; Bronze - Manish Bedia (Jharkhand) 54.62s

800m: Gold - Davanidhi Munda (Odisha) 1:53.33s; Silver - Gajendra Thakur (Chhattisgarh) 1:53.82s; Bronze - Rahul Oraon (Jharkhand) 1:54.32s

10k race walk: Gold - Dasharath Talawar (Karnataka) 45:13.85s; Silver - Darshan Bagadi (Karnataka) 46:25.90s; Bronze - Sagarbhai Katara (Gujarat) 48:16.09s

Football

Boys semi-finals: West Bengal 5 (Saurav Sabbar 27', Dilip Oraon 36', Bijay Murumu 42', Rahul Murmu 45+1', Chaku Mandi 90+2') defeated Goa 2 (Charles Miranda 84', Pratamesh Damodar Gaonkar 90+4')

Chhattisgarh 3 (Akhilesh Kumar Uikey 34', 66', Manoj Kumar Lekam 75') defeated Arunachal Pradesh 2 (Rahul Goju Singpho 81', 86').