Khelo India Tribal Games 2026: Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh Shine on Day One
Exciting Start to Khelo India Tribal Games
Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], March 29: The inaugural day of the wrestling events at the Khelo India Tribal Games 2026 in Ambikapur saw Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh each securing two gold medals. Meanwhile, Mizoram concluded the weightlifting segment with two golds, enhancing their medal tally.
Jharkhand kicked off their gold medal journey with Poonam Oraon triumphing in the women's 50kg final, defeating Geetha K from Telangana with a score of 6-3. Additionally, Anjit Kumar Munda claimed victory in the men's 67kg Greco-Roman final, overpowering Mukesh Vasva of Gujarat by technical superiority.
Himachal Pradesh's gold medals were earned by Navish Kumar in the 97kg Greco-Roman category and Priyanka Chaudhary in the women's 62kg event. Mizoram's gold count rose to four, thanks to Zosangzuali in the women's +86kg and David Zohmingmawia in the men's +110kg categories.
These achievements propelled Mizoram to fifth place in the overall medal standings. Karnataka leads the medal tally with 15 golds, six silvers, and four bronzes, while Odisha follows in second with nine golds, four silvers, and ten bronzes. The host state, Chhattisgarh, has slipped to ninth place after securing a silver and a bronze in weightlifting.
In weightlifting, Sambo Lapung from Arunachal Pradesh helped his state move ahead of Assam into third place by winning 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 strides in the medal standings, with weightlifter Sakshi Burkule earning their second gold in the women's 86kg category, lifting a total of 150kg—29kg more than silver medalist Rishika Kashyap from Chhattisgarh. Sakshi dominated the competition, while Rishika performed admirably within her limits.
Wrestler Vinod Salkar contributed to Maharashtra's success by winning gold in the men's 125kg freestyle Nordic competition.
Jammu and Kashmir also marked their presence on the medal board, securing a gold and a silver in wrestling. Munir Hussain won the men's 74kg freestyle gold by defeating Maharashtra's Vikram Pawar 11-1 through technical superiority, while Shama Hoon fell short against Himachal Pradesh's Navish Kumar in the 97kg Greco-Roman final.