Jharkhand Athletes Shine at Khelo India Tribal Games 2026

Jharkhand's Dominance in Athletics

Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], March 31: In a remarkable display of talent, Shiv Kumar Soren and Prithvi Oraon from Jharkhand emerged as the fastest male and female athletes during the inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games 2026 held at the Kreeda Parisar ground in Jagdalpur on Tuesday.

Additionally, Siddharth Nagesh secured a gold medal in shot put and a silver in discus throw, while Tilak Barsel earned silver in the men's 100m event for the host state of Chhattisgarh, as reported in an official release.

Both Shiv Kumar and Prithvi led their respective 100m races from start to finish, achieving golden victories for their state. Shiv Kumar clocked an impressive 10.58 seconds, while Barsel finished in 10.87 seconds, earning the silver. Odisha's Atish Kindo claimed the bronze with a time of 10.91 seconds.

In the women's 100m final, 16-year-old Prithvi achieved her personal best, winning gold with a time of 12.73 seconds. Ruduolhounuo Belho from Nagaland and Jharkhand's Putul Bakshi followed, taking silver and bronze with times of 12.90 seconds and 13.03 seconds, respectively.

"I was confident about winning a medal after my performance in the selection trials. Today, I focused on giving my best, and I’m thrilled to have set my personal best," Prithvi expressed after her race.

Siddharth Nagesh started the day strong for the hosts, earning a silver in men's discus throw with a distance of 35.56 meters. The gold went to Gujarat's Danish Makvana, who threw 44.83 meters, while Odisha's Chandray Murmu secured bronze with 33.97 meters.

Later in the evening, Siddharth excelled further by winning gold in shot put with a throw of 13.52 meters, while Danish Makvana took silver with 13.04 meters.

Chhattisgarh also advanced to the women's football final after defeating Arunachal Pradesh in a penalty shootout. Currently, Chhattisgarh stands 10th in the overall medals tally with two gold, seven silver, and four bronze medals. They are set to face Jharkhand in the final, following Jharkhand's impressive 9-0 victory over Gujarat.

Karnataka leads the medals tally with 19 gold, seven silver, and seven bronze, while Odisha follows with 13 gold, eight silver, and 15 bronze medals.

Jharkhand climbed to third place in the overall standings after winning gold in the women's 4x100m relay and the men's 77kg Greco-Roman wrestling, bringing their total to seven gold, two silver, and five bronze medals. Abhishek Munda secured the gold by defeating Himachal Pradesh's Arfan in Ambikapur.

Due to unexpected rains in Jagdalpur, the athletics session scheduled for the previous evening was canceled, leading to a packed morning session featuring seven finals, including a thrilling long jump event.

In a nail-biting contest, Abdul Fathah emerged victorious in the long jump, becoming the first athlete from Lakshadweep to surpass the 7-meter mark with a leap of 7.03 meters. Bhima Sardar from Odisha took silver with 6.96 meters, while Odisha's Jivan Bilung earned bronze with a jump of 6.95 meters.

The men's 400m final was a close race, with Odisha's Nobal Kumar Kissan narrowly missing out on victory. Gujarat's Santoshbhai Ganvit won with a time of 49.332 seconds, just ahead of Nobal's 49.335 seconds. Karnataka's Ramu secured bronze with a time of 49.60 seconds.

Goa's Manasi Kunkalka opened her state's gold medal tally by winning the women's shot put with a throw of 9.72 meters. Bihar's Anamika Gond (9.50m) and Meghalaya's Melibadkro (9.43m) followed with silver and bronze, respectively.