Chhattisgarh Women's Football Team Triumphs at Khelo India Tribal Games 2026

Chhattisgarh Claims Gold in Women's Football

In Raipur, Chhattisgarh, the women's football team showcased their talent at the inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games 2026, securing a gold medal by defeating Jharkhand 1-0 in the final. The victory was largely attributed to the exceptional performance of their captain, Kiran Pisda.

On the penultimate day of track and field events in Jagdalpur, the hosts also earned a silver medal in the men's 4x400m relay and a bronze in the men's 1500m race. Jharkhand's Shiv Kumar Soren made headlines by winning gold in the 200m, adding to his earlier 100m victory.

The decisive moment in the women's football final came in the 61st minute when Kiran capitalized on a defensive error to score the only goal, allowing her team to maintain their lead and secure the championship.

"This is a memorable occasion for us, especially with so many fans cheering us on. Winning the gold medal in front of our home crowd is a dream come true," expressed an overjoyed Kiran, the sole international player on the team.

The Khelo India Tribal Games feature participation from 30 states and union territories, with nearly 3,800 athletes competing across seven disciplines, including football, athletics, and archery, while Mallakhamb and Kabaddi are showcased as demonstration sports.

As the athletics competitions concluded, Soren and Karnataka's Reethushree and Nagini each claimed their second gold medals at the Kreeda Parisar complex.

Soren clocked an impressive 21.51 seconds to win the 200m, while Reethushree added a gold in the 200m to her earlier 400m victory with a time of 25.87 seconds. Nagini completed her double by winning the women's 800m in 4:43.87 seconds.

Chhattisgarh's men's 4x400m relay team finished second to Odisha, with a time of 3:19.26 seconds, while Manish Kumar contributed to the medal tally with a bronze in the men's 1500m final, finishing in 4:01.50 seconds.

As the inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games approach their conclusion, Chhattisgarh stands in ninth place with a total of three gold, nine silver, and six bronze medals.

Karnataka leads the medal table with 23 gold, eight silver, and seven bronze medals, followed by Odisha with 20 golds. Jharkhand has solidified its position with a total of 14 gold medals, including one from archery, thanks to former world junior champion Komalika Bari.

Maharashtra's Harshwardhan Ingle also made a mark by winning the compound men's individual title and the compound mixed team event, helping his state climb to fourth place overall with six gold, ten silver, and four bronze medals.

Results Overview

ARCHERY

Women

Compound Individual: Gold – Priya Banavath (Andhra Pradesh); Silver – Megha Besra (Jharkhand); Bronze – Vaishnavi Pardeshi (Maharashtra)

Compound Team: Gold – Meghalaya; Silver – Nagaland; Bronze – Jharkhand

Men

Compound Individual: Gold – Harshwardhan Ingle (Maharashtra); Silver – Keshaba Banara (Odisha); Bronze – Sagar Raita (Odisha)

Compound Team: Gold – Meghalaya; Silver – Assam; Bronze – Odisha

Compound Mixed Team: Gold – Maharashtra; Silver – Andhra Pradesh; Bronze – Jharkhand

Recurve Mixed Team: Gold – Jharkhand; Silver – Odisha; Bronze – Nagaland

ATHLETICS

Women

200m: Gold – Reethushree (Karnataka) 25.87s; Silver – Anamika Oraon (Jharkhand) 26.13s; Bronze – Adhithya KM (Kerala) 26.67s

1500m: Gold – Nagini (Karnataka) 4:43.87s; Silver – Shakila Vasave (Maharashtra) 4:48.94s; Bronze – Sunita Santa (Odisha) 4:53.72s

10000m: Gold – Sanjita Oraon (West Bengal) 40:21.18s; Silver – Sandhya Murmu (Odisha) 41:17.79s; Bronze – Balarisha Thyrniang (Meghalaya) 42:29.41s

4x400m relay: Gold – Jharkhand 3:58.03s; Silver – Odisha 4:05.69s; Bronze – Maharashtra 4:11.90s

Men

200m: Gold – Shiv Kumar Soren (Jharkhand) 21.51s; Silver – Arpan Tai (Assam) 22.38s; Bronze – Jagdish Meena (Rajasthan) 22.48s

1500m: Gold – Rahul Oraon (Jharkhand) 4:01.18s; Silver – Kartik Kariharpal (Maharashtra) 4:01.23s; Bronze – Manish Kumar (Chhattisgarh) 4:01.50s

10,000m: Gold – Wede Tmero (Nagaland) 32:28.46s; Silver – Kamlakar Deshmukh (Maharashtra) 32:42.29s; Bronze – Hans Raj (J&K) 32:54.98s

4x400m: Gold – Odisha 3:18.47s; Silver – Chhattisgarh 3:19.26s; Bronze – Jharkhand 3:19.62s

Javelin Throw: Gold – Gulab Singh (Madhya Pradesh) 62.80m; Silver – Promod Hagier (Assam) 62.30m; Bronze – Somnath Singh (Odisha) 58.05m

FOOTBALL

Women’s final: Chhattisgarh (Kiran Pisda 61′) defeated Jharkhand 0

Gold – Chhattisgarh; Silver – Jharkhand; Bronze – Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat.