Karnataka Shines at Khelo India Tribal Games with Multiple Golds

Karnataka Dominates Day 8 of Khelo India Tribal Games

On April 2, in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, race walker Dasharath Talawar and middle-distance runner Nagini contributed two gold medals to Karnataka's impressive medal tally, which now leads the competition. Chhattisgarh's Gajendra Thakur secured a silver in the men's 800m, while the state's men's hockey team earned a bronze medal on the eighth day of the Khelo India Tribal Games (KITG).

Talawar achieved victory in the men's 10km race walk, clocking in at 45:13.85 seconds, with teammate Darshan Bagadi finishing second at 46:25.90 seconds, ahead of Gujarat's Sagarbhai Katara who came in at 48:16.09 seconds at the Kreeda Parisar athletics track in Jagdalpur.

Nagini excelled in the women's 800m race, winning gold with a time of 2:13.80 seconds, bringing Karnataka's total gold medals to 21, alongside eight silver and seven bronze, totaling 36 medals.

Gajendra Thakur expressed his joy after winning the silver medal in the men's 800m with a time of 1:53.82 seconds, just behind Munda, who finished at 1:53.33 seconds. Thakur, who began training in athletics only a year ago, shared, "I initially came for kabaddi trials but was encouraged by coaches to pursue track events. I'm thrilled to win my first national medal at home during the Khelo India Tribal Games."

Earlier, Chhattisgarh's men's hockey team secured a bronze by defeating Madhya Pradesh 14-6, bringing their total to two gold, eight silver, and five bronze medals, placing them 10th overall.

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.

Odisha's 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 with two gold medals in the women's 400m hurdles and the 10km race walk, totaling 19 medals, including nine gold, three silver, and seven bronze.

In football, Chhattisgarh triumphed over Arunachal Pradesh 3-2 to secure a spot in the finals against West Bengal. Captain Akhilesh Kumar Uikey scored twice, while Manoj Kumar Lekam added another goal. Arunachal Pradesh made a late push with two goals from Rahul Goju Singpho but fell short.

In the other semi-final, West Bengal defeated Goa 5-2, with goals from Saurav Sabbar, Dilip Oraon, Bijay Murmu, Rahul Murmu, and Chaku Mandi.

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′, Bikay 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′).