Khelo India Tribal Games 2026: Karnataka and Odisha Shine on Day 2
Karnataka Dominates Medals Table
Raipur: On Thursday, swimmer Manikanta L played a pivotal role in securing Karnataka's lead in the medals tally by winning three additional gold medals, bringing his total to five. Meanwhile, Odisha's Anjali Munda achieved a remarkable feat by securing her third gold medal during the swimming events on the second day of the Khelo India Tribal Games (KITG) 2026 held in Raipur. The host state, Chhattisgarh, also celebrated as Anushka Bhagat earned her second silver medal by finishing second in the women's 200m individual medley, having previously won silver in the 100m breaststroke on Wednesday.
As Day 2 concluded, Karnataka led with eight golds, three silvers, and one bronze, while Odisha closely followed with five golds, one silver, and eight bronzes. Assam ranked third with two golds among their five medals, while Chhattisgarh stood sixth with three medals, including two silvers and a bronze. Odisha dominated the women's swimming events, securing all three available golds, with Anjali Munda winning two. She first claimed gold in the women's 200m individual medley with a time of 2:53.82 seconds, while Anushka Bhagat from Chhattisgarh took silver at 2:59.33 seconds, and Odisha's Anjali Mallick earned bronze with a time of 3:06.13 seconds. Anjali then added the 100m backstroke title to her collection, finishing in 1:19.98 seconds, with Karnataka's Nidhi S taking silver at 1:26.18 seconds. Although Anjali did not compete in the 4×100 relay, her teammates Ritika Minz, Krushna Nayak, Rupali Hembram, and Subhasmita Baipai clocked 5:06.12 seconds to secure gold, outperforming Gujarat (5:54.37 seconds) and Karnataka (6:29.69 seconds).
Odisha's fourth gold of the day was achieved in the weightlifting arena, where former Asian Championships gold medalist Jhilli Dalabehera triumphed over Kiuchangliu Gangmei of Manipur, both lifting an identical total of 160kg, but Jhilli claimed victory due to her lower body weight. In the women's 48kg weightlifting category, Monikha excelled by lifting 57kg in the snatch and 75kg in the Clean & Jerk, totaling 132kg to win gold. Deepa Rani Mallik from Odisha secured silver with a total of 120kg, while Alaaska Aleena from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands took bronze with 111kg.